Frances Townsend is Activision Blizzard’s Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer. She is also in charge of the company’s public policy and government affairs. She is a member of the Chairman’s Office and the Board of Directors. She is responsible for collaborating with key stakeholders and partners to support Activision Blizzard’s domestic and international growth initiatives.
Responsibilities
Frances Townsend is in charge of leading the company’s global public policy and government affairs efforts, working with her colleagues to develop political strategies, and collaborating with the CEO to maintain appropriate relationships with government officials and lobbyists.
Townsend is in charge of the overall strategic direction and coordination of corporate strategy, communications, and public policy. She is also a member of Activision Blizzard’s executive team.
She has remained an advisor to several companies and business associations, including the National Press Foundation, the Financial Services Roundtable CEO Council, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Background
Before joining Activision Blizzard, Frances Townsend was the Bush administration’s Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for six years. She also was President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor from 2005 to 2009. In this capacity, Frances Townsend worked closely with the White House and agencies on homeland security policy and strategy, with responsibility for counterterrorism policy and strategy, cybersecurity, and intelligence issues.
Townsend previously served as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety for the City of New York under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for five years. She developed and implemented counterterrorism, cybersecurity, weapons of mass destruction, public health, and civil defense policies and initiatives in this capacity.
Townsend also worked as a federal prosecutor in New York for seven years. Townsend worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in various roles, including Chief of Major Crimes, Assistant United States Attorney, and Deputy Chief of Narcotics.