Activision Blizzard has announced the promotion of Armin Zerza to the company’s chief financial officer. A deeply experienced global CFO and operations executive, Zerza currently serves as chief commercial officer of Activision Blizzard and chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. He will assume his new role in the Company’s second fiscal quarter, following the retirement of current CFO Dennis Durkin.
Activision Blizzard vice-chairman Thomas Tippl noted: “I’ve worked with Armin for more than 20 years, going back to our days at The Procter & Gamble Company. I’m supremely confident in his expertise, focus, and ability to drive shareholder value and disciplined financial performance. When I recruited Armin to become CFO of Blizzard six years ago, I expected him to one day become the CFO of the entire company. I look forward to partnering with him as he builds on the exceptional work Dennis and our team have done to build such a strong global finance function.”
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick commented, “Armin is a leader of great accomplishment and depth who has played a central role in our company’s continued growth, record financial results, and the momentum we now have with all of our key franchises. His extensive knowledge of the financial and operational aspects of our company – balanced with a great appreciation for the need to ensure inspiration and creativity – makes him uniquely suited to serve as our next chief financial officer. Two years ago, in a very difficult situation, Dennis stepped in again as our CFO, and his efforts and focus helped the company return to growth and established the momentum we now have as we expand our audiences, engagement, and player investment. In the decade that we have worked together, Dennis’s leadership shaped our culture, balancing the creative and financial objectives that are unique to our industry, and he has enabled a seamless transition for Armin by building a truly extraordinary financial leadership team. I am incredibly grateful for his partnership, friendship and his unwavering integrity.”
Activision Blizzard’s Audit Committee chairman Robert Corti added, “Dennis is a consummate professional. He has built a superb financial team and has enabled an easy transition with ideal timing for Armin to assume responsibilities as our chief financial officer. Having worked with Armin for six years I am looking forward to his drive, determination, and boundless energy being applied to his new role.”
“Bobby is a friend and a great leader and it has been a privilege to work with him and all my colleagues at Activision Blizzard. I am proud of the durable business we have built and the value we have created for our various stakeholders during my tenure. Our business has never been stronger and I’m pleased to share that our strong performance is continuing and we are on track to exceed our prior outlook for the first quarter. I want to thank Bobby, Thomas, and our incredibly talented teams, as well as Brian Kelly and our board of directors, for their support over the years. I couldn’t be more excited for the continued growth and success the company is poised to achieve,” said Durkin.
Zerza joined the company in 2015 as CFO of Blizzard Entertainment. He has assumed expanded roles and increased responsibility at both Activision Blizzard and Blizzard Entertainment. As Blizzard’s chief operating and financial officer, he built on his success strengthening that unit’s financial and operational discipline, and as chief commercial officer he has overseen all the commercial and operational functions for Activision Blizzard. Zerza joined the company after more than 20 years with P&G where most recently he served as CFO for P&G’s multi-billion-dollar Latin America division and its European Baby Care business as well as director of mergers and acquisitions, among other roles. He holds a master’s degree from Vienna University of Economics and Commerce.
Activision Blizzard intends to release its first-quarter 2021 results after the close of the market on Tuesday, 4 May 2021.
