Angela Roseboro is taking on a big task as the chief diversity officer at Riot Games. She joins Riot from Dropbox and comes in the aftermath of a scandal that revealed a sexist culture at the League of Legends game publisher and esports company.
Riot Game was hit with the allegations as Kotaku published an investigative story with testimony from current and former Riot employees who said the sexism was ingrained among the executives. In the aftermath, Riot admitted that it made mistakes, made some changes in its staffing, and was also hit with a gender discrimination lawsuit.
Hiring Roseboro as the company’s first-ever chief diversity officer is one of the steps that the company is taking to rectify its culture.
She will oversee all activity relating to diversity and inclusion (D&I), and will lead the creation of new programs to foster a more inclusive culture at Riot. She will also lead the recruiting team in driving inclusivity in Riot’s hiring and talent sourcing processes.
Roseboro will report directly to and work closely with, Emily Winkle, Riot’s Chief People Officer, to ensure D&I is tightly integrated into the company’s broader strategy to identify, recruit, develop, and retain the best talent to make incredible experiences for players.
She comes six months since Riot made its promise to commit itself to making Riot a leader in diversity, inclusion, and company culture. On February 26, the company released its first major update on the Riot cultural transformation team’s work and launched a new information hub about our work on diversity, inclusion, and Riot culture.
“I can’t wait to get started and to do my part to make sure we have a culture that embraces the uniqueness of every Rioter and a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging,” Roseboro said, in a statement.
“We’ve been searching for the right person to help us become a positive force for D&I in our industry and beyond, and I’m thrilled to welcome Angela to the team,” said Winkle, in her internal email to Rioters. “I know I speak for the entire Riot leadership team when I say that we can’t wait for her to start. She brings with her experience and expertise that will allow us to truly blossom in our D&I efforts.”
Roseboro added, “I’ve had the opportunity to meet some incredible Rioters who are passionate about creating a culture where everyone thrives together. I was so taken by the heart and soul of this company and — in spite of setbacks or hurdles — I’m excited to be part of this journey. I can’t wait to get started and to do my part to make sure we have a culture that embraces the uniqueness of every Rioter and a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
Roseboro has more than 20 years of experience, including leadership roles in consulting and finance, and was most recently the global head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Dropbox. At Dropbox, she led the company’s development and implementation of initiatives and actions for driving inclusion as a key component of Dropbox’s goal of being an employer of choice for all talent.