Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and Emerson Collective founder Laurene Powell Jobs have been appointed to Skydance’s board as independent directors, while former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will serve as an advisor.
The trio will serve alongside David Ellison, who serves as the company’s chairman and CEO, and Ynon Kreiz, who serves as co-CEO.
Other members of the board include Barclays PLC Vice Chair Barbara Byrne, Unrivaled Sports Chairman and CEO Andy Campion, RedBird Capital Partners Founder and Managing Partner Gerry Cardinale and Chairman John Thornton, Oracle Executive Vice Chair Safra Catz, Skydance President Andy Gordon, Silver Lake Managing Director Justin Hamill, former Paramount Pictures Chair and CEO Sherry Lansing and Lawrence Investments LLC President Paul Marinelli.
“I am delighted to welcome Laurene and Bobby to our Board and honored to have Tony join us as an Advisor,” Ellison said in a statement. “Together with our other directors, they bring the experience and fresh perspectives we need to build Skydance into an extraordinary company, one that honors the legacies of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery while setting a bold course for the future. United by a commitment to creative excellence, innovation and long-term shareholder value, this Board will help us empower our teams, strengthen our businesses and deliver exceptional entertainment to audiences around the world.”
Kotick, who will serve on the Skydance board’s nominating and governance committee, joined Activision in 1991 after acquiring a significant interest in the company. He served as its CEO from 1991 until 2023, when the video game publisher was acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion. He also served as chairman from 1991 to 2008.
In addition to Skydance and Activision, Kotick has previously served on the boards of The Coca-Cola Company, Yahoo! Inc. and Macromedia Inc. He was also vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and founder and co-chair of the Call of Duty Endowment, a nonprofit organization dedicated to placing veterans in high-quality employment.
“Throughout his tenure, he showed a rare ability to anticipate shifts in how consumers engage with entertainment, investing in new platforms, new business models and new ways of reaching fans while keeping creative excellence at the center of the enterprise,” Ellison said. “His experience scaling a franchise-driven business, managing the complexity of a global public company and steering major industry transitions will serve Skydance well as it navigates an evolving media and entertainment landscape.”
Jobs, who has led the Emerson Collective since 2011, is the lead investor of Anonymous Content and Concordia Studio, as well as a majority investor and board chair of The Atlantic.
She also co-founded and serves on the boards of the Waverley Street Foundation, College Track, the XQ Institute, Chicago CRED and the Ford Foundation and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“She built her career on creating institutions that endure and drive meaningful change. Her leadership extends across education, climate and community-driven initiatives,” Ellison added. “As founder and president of Emerson Collective, she pioneered a groundbreaking model that unites venture investing and philanthropic grant-making to tackle society’s most complex challenges, and she has shown a rare gift for identifying bold ideas early and scaling them into lasting impact. That dedication, together with her extensive experience in investing and philanthropy, makes her a valuable addition to Skydance’s board.”
Blair, who will be acting in a personal capacity, is executive chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a not-for-profit organization which helps leaders govern in the age of AI.
“His global leadership experience and commitment to innovation position him as an invaluable advisor in shaping Skydance’s strategic priorities,” Ellison said.
Per an SEC filing, Kotick and Powell Jobs are eligible to participate in Skydance’s non-employee director compensation program, which includes the receipt of a pro-rated annual award upon their appointments. The pair are also eligible for an annual award if they continue to serve on the board following any future meeting of the company’s stockholders. Additionally, they have entered into the company’s standard in indemnification agreement for directors and officers.
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