Ubisoft expands executive committee to "accelerate its transformation"
Brings diversity to top of the company.
Ubisoft has expanded its executive committee with a number of senior appointments, including Marie-Sophie de Waubert as senior vice president of studios operations.
The announcement stated the committee would assist Ubisoft with "major strategic orientations to achieve a strong, sustainable and inclusive growth" and would "accelerate its transformation" (thanks GamesIndustry.biz).
De Waubert was previously managing director of Ubisoft Paris and will now report directly to CEO Yves Guillemot and lead all Ubisoft studios worldwide.
She's one of seven additions to the committee and one of three women, adding some much needed diversity to the top of the company.
Joining Alain Corre (chief publishing officer), Laurent Detoc (chief direct-to-player officer), Anika Grant (chief people officer), and Igor Manceau (chief creative officer) on the committee are:
- Sandrine Caloiaro, chief portfolio officer
- Jean-Michel Detoc, chief mobile officer
- Frédérick Duguet, chief corporate finance officer
- Caroline Jeanteur, chief purpose officer
- Cécile Russeil, chief legal officer
- Martin Schelling, SVP production
- Marie-Sophie de Waubert, SVP studios operations
"I am extremely happy to welcome these new key members to our executive committee. Ubisoft has been adapting its organisation over the past two years to align it with a fast-changing industry and its many growth opportunities," said Guillemot.
"We are now entering a new phase of our development where we are focusing on expanding our brands and portfolio to significantly larger audiences, building an increasingly recurring business and cutting-edge technologies, while continuing to enrich our players' experiences and enhance our workplace culture. I am confident that this new extended executive committee will allow us to go even further in creating the best games and meeting the needs of our players, our teams and all Ubisoft's stakeholders."
The company has, in recent years, been plagued by stories of sexual harassment. The employee group A Better Ubisoft has since been campaigning for change.
The company has also attracted acquisition interest as of late, though its founding family are likely to oppose a full takeover.