Ubisoft hires ex-Uber HR director as new chief people officer

Ubisoft has found its new chief people officer in Anika Grant, a once senior director of HR at Uber and global HR director at Dyson with nearly two decades of experience in HR leadership.

As Ubisoft new CPO, Grant sees herself heading up the French company's global recruiting, talent management, leadership development, compensation and benefits, and the improvement of its organizational performance.

This significant HR hire notably follows a year filled with several accusations of harassment, misconduct, and mismanagement levied against high-ranking Ubisoft staff and Ubisoft's subsequent promise to overhaul the studio culture that allowed a pattern of misconduct to take hold at multiple Ubisoft studios.

In a statement, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot says that ensuring healthy studio culture will be one of Grant's areas of focus.

"Working alongside me, Anika’s mission will consist of aligning all our HR teams with a strong, shared vision, building a robust talent pipeline, and implementing innovative and new ways of working," says Guillemot. "Anika will also be focusing her leadership efforts on strengthening our global corporate culture, ensuring that all our teams can thrive in an environment that promotes a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion and collective wellbeing.” 

While Grant's most recent role saw her at Dyson, her previous 3 years at Uber makes her the second major hire from the ride-share company Ubisoft has made since its studio culture was put under a much-needed microscope, following the appointment of Raashi Sikka as its VP of global diversity and inclusion last December.