Dive Brief:
- Hasbro announced on Thursday that it named Najuma Atkinson its chief people officer, according to a company press release.
- Atkinson is taking the role following the previously announced retirement of Global Chief Human Resources Officer Dolph Johnson, who was with the company for over 20 years.
- In the role, Atkinson will oversee the toy brand’s human resources arm and take on the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Atkinson joined Hasbro last fall from Dell Technologies, where she served as senior vice president of global HR services.
Dive Insight:
Hasbro has named a chief people officer during a time of corporate change.
The company started the year by naming its former Chief Operating Officer, Chris Cocks, as its permanent CEO, following the death of longtime CEO Brian Goldner, who died unexpectedly last October. The company also named Chief Consumer Officer and COO of its consumer products segment, Eric Nyman, as its president and COO.
Since then, the company has spent the first half of the year pushing back on activist investor Alta Fox, who wants to place members on the board and spin off its Wizards of the Coast gaming subsidiary.
Last week, Hasbro filed a presentation with the Securities and Exchange Commission in preparation for its annual meeting in June. The company said that Alta Fox’s strategies and director nominees “are not right for Hasbro," and urged shareholders to support Cocks. "Hasbro’s Board has the right skills and experience to support Mr. Cocks in introducing and delivering the Hasbro gameplan for continued long-term value creation," the company said in a press release. "He needs the support of directors with a balance of fresh perspectives and institutional/industry knowledge as they push Hasbro for bold changes in a rapidly evolving world."
Meanwhile, the company has introduced a chief people officer — a role that has increasingly become part of retailers' corporate strategies. RH in November named a chief people and values officer, while Orvis has named both a chief product officer and a chief people officer in the past two years.
