Ubisoft finds unique chief people officer in well being and meals exec Sébastien Froidefond
Ubisoft has came upon a unique chief people officer, following the departure of outdated CPO Anika Grant after a transient two-300 and sixty 5 days stint. On November 20, “seasoned HR government” Sébastien Froidefond will rob over the attribute.
With over 30 years of journey, his obligations will encompass dealing with the studio’s experience and administration vogue and world recruiting, together with “guaranteeing that HR contributes considerably to the corporate’s general strategic targets.” As CPO, Froidefond shall be a fraction of Ubisoft’s govt committee and delusion right away to Cécile Russeil, the EVP who runs its communications, HR, and good departments.
Within the announcement, Ubisoft notes his prior work “demonstrated his versatility and influence throughout various industries—whether or not in sectors with lengthy, innovation-driven funding cycles, or in fast-paced environments requiring operational agility.” Beforehand, Froidefond labored in dairy and healthcare at firms much like Lactalis Americas and Sanofi, the place he managed their respective HR departments throughout a number of worldwide areas.
His hiring marks the most recent govt shakeup for Ubisoft this 300 and sixty 5 days. In April, Russeil was as soon as appointed to her most stylish discipline after beforehand working as its chief good guide since 1995. That an identical month, publishing VP Brenda Panagrossi was as soon as made favourite supervisor for its higher United States crew.
Froidefond’s predecessor, Grant, was as soon as introduced on virtually in the intervening time after experiences surfaced of harassment and different immoral habits from excessive-stage Ubisoft employees. Ubisoft then promised to toughen its customized, and he or she was as soon as talked about to be “instrumental” in that route of.
He joins Ubisoft at an equally tumultuous time: not handiest is the corporate coping with a potential buyout between Tencent and it longtime house owners, the Guillemot family, employees at its France and Milan places of work admire as of late lengthy gone on strike over its return-to-set of job mandates. The studio has additionally been twice-sued in most stylish circumstances, and is in mid-fashion on its subsequent good liberate, Assassin’s Creed Shadows for February 2025.
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Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A Kansas Metropolis, MO native, Justin Carter has written for a extraordinary sequence of websites together with IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. As nicely to Recreation Developer, his writing may even be came upon at io9 over on Gizmodo. Do not set a request to him about how extraordinary gum he’s had, for the reason that acknowledge shall be larger than he’s entertaining to confess.