Departures continue at Ubisoft. The vice-president in charge of the group's editorial service, Tommy François, quoted in several testimonies published in the press as responsible for harassment and attempted sexual assault, has left the editor, the group confirmed on Monday. According to the digital news site Numerama , the announcement was made to employees via an internal email signed by the group's CEO, Yves Guillemot, explaining that Tommy François had "left the group with immediate effect".
Chain departures
Former host of the specialty channel GameOne, Tommy François joined Ubisoft in 2006 and was vice-president of the editorial department for a little over 5 years. He was notably quoted in the series of articles published by several media concerning cases of harassment and sexual assault, the revelation of which has deeply shaken the group for nearly two months.
Since the emergence of the first testimonies at the end of June, several leaders of the group have indeed been pushed towards the exit or have resigned, including the number two of the group, Serge Hascoët, who left his post as head of creation in mid-July. The head of the Montreal studio as well as the group's human resources director have also left Ubisoft.
"A very serious challenge" to take up
Ubisoft has not been able to guarantee its employees a safe and inclusive working environment ", regretted Mr. Guillemot, quoted in the press release announcing their departure." This is not acceptable. Any toxic behavior is in total opposition to the values with which I have never compromised and with which I will not compromise, "said the manager. The company, which has 18,000 employees worldwide, 22% of whom are women, has launched several internal investigations since the first revelations and began the restructuring of its human resources department, accused of having covered certain toxic behaviors.
During the presentation of its staggered quarterly results, on July 22, Yves Guillemot assured that the group must "nevertheless take up a very serious challenge following the recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior. I am determined to put implementing profound changes to improve and strengthen our corporate culture ".