Ubisoft closer to goal of independent majority on Board of Directors

Ubisoft intends to expand its Board of Directors in an effort to have an independent majority upon it, the publisher today advised.

Following a recommendation from the Board’s Nomination and Compensation Committee, Ubisoft intends to appoint of Corinne Fernandez-Handelsman and Virginie Haas as independent directors.

If the appointments are approved, Ubisoft’s Board of Directors will be made up of be 11 members, with six independent directors. Five of this six independent directors would be female.

Both Fernandez-Handelsman and Haas will be appointed subject to the approval of Ubisoft’s shareholders during the publisher’s annual general shareholder meeting. It takes place on 22 September.

“We are delighted to continue the expansion of our Board of Directors with the nominations of Corinne and Virginie as independent directors. If their appointments are approved by our shareholders at the next general meeting, our Board will have an independent majority, and nearly half of the directors will be women. This development reflects our desire to comply with the best corporate governance practices for the benefit of all our shareholders, while also combining the necessary expertise and competencies for Ubisoft’s long-term success,” Yves Guillemot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft, said.

“At a time when the Group’s model is transforming, Corinne and Virginie will add valuable and leading-edge expertise to the Board. We will benefit from Corinne’s experience in talent recruitment and management in technology-driven industries, and Virginie brings detailed knowledge of change and hyper growth management, coupled with expertise in artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing.”

Ubisoft is in the midst of efforts to stave off a takeover from media giant Vivendi.