Activision Blizzard is adding two women senior executives to its board, sources familiar told Axios. The company is expected to announce soon that Lulu Cheng Meservey is joining immediately and that it will nominate Kerry Carr for election at its annual meeting in June.
Why it matters: Activision's board has been criticized for sticking by CEO Bobby Kotick over the past year amid allegations of a toxic culture, which has led to discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits, federal investigations and worker attrition.
- The company also has been found to be in violation of a California law that requires publicly traded companies with six or more people on the board to have at least three women directors.
State of play: Half of Activision’s 10-person board has been together for nearly two decades, according to Bloomberg.
- Eight men and two women currently sit on the board.
- Hendrik Hartong III and Casey Wasserman have chosen not to stand for re-election at the 2022 annual meeting, according to sources.
Of note: Cheng Meservey is currently VP of communications at Substack.
- Carr is currently an SVP with Bacardi and alum of The Walt Disney Company.
The big picture: Regulators are reviewing Activision's proposed acquisition by Microsoft.
- Cleaning up Activision’s culture is pivotal to the success of the $68.7 billion deal — Microsoft's biggest ever.
- Last week, the company appointed Kristen Hines, a former executive with Accenture, as its new chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
What to watch: Activision will hold a special meeting next week for its shareholders to vote on the proposed deal with Microsoft.
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