WotC WotC President Cynthia Williams Resigns

Cynthia Williams, who has been president of Wizards of the Coast for the last two years, will be leaving the company at the end of the month, according to an SEC filing dated April 15th. Hasbro is already looking for somebody to step into the role.

Williams worked for Microsoft on the Gaming Ecosystem Commercial Team before joining WotC two years ago, stepping into the role that then-president Chris Cocks vacated when he was promoted to CEO of Hasbro in February 2022.

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On April 15, 2024, Cynthia Williams, President of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming, informed the Company of her resignation from the Company effective April 26, 2024. The Company is conducting a process to identify her successor, looking at both internal and external candidates.

According to Rascal News, WotC responded with a comment: "We’re excited for Cynthia to take the next step in her career and grateful for the contributions she has made in her more than two years at Wizards and Hasbro. We wish her the absolute best in her next endeavor. We have started the search for our next President of Wizards of the Coast and hope to have a successor in place soon."

 

[mamba]

You don't get 2 weeks notice if you're fired.

if she left voluntarily, we should learn something about where she went soon enough

 

[FrogReaver]

Or... Williams got an offer elsewhere that aligned closer to her interests, with the Wizards Presidency merely being a stepping stone of experience. These Presidents and CEOs easily get other jobs. They bounce around all over the place, whether Chief Officers or Board members.

Just watch. She'll be a CEO elsewhere real soon. And if she is, did Wizards get rid of her? Or did she leave Wizards because the temperature was too hot?

Typically their contract required much longer than 2 weeks notice.

 

[LordEntrails]

Just because the public was given two weeks notice, does not mean the board or Hasbro was given two weeks notice. She could have easily told them a year ago and nobody got around to find a replacements for her to train. Plenty of companies don't react to employees resignation plans/statements until actually forced to do so.
It's possible they knew nothing until she turned in a two week notice. Or it could be that her boss(es) have known for weeks and months and didn't announce it for a hundred different reasons.

 

[Ibrandul]

Just an observation - D&D has had kind of a rough time under the control of people named Williams. Maybe it's superstitious but let's not see if the pattern repeats a third time in the future.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After a very brief search, Wizards of the Coast, subsidiary of Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) Gaming, announced today that it has selected David Williams to replace outgoing Cynthia Williams as company president.

Reached for comment, David Williams said he plans to embrace modern telecommuting culture by forging a bold path into the future for the Renton, Washington, based gaming company from the comfort of his secure cell at Boston Ridgegate Mental Facility.

Prior to joining the company, David Williams achieved success as a seasonal main antagonist on the ABC comedy-drama mystery television series Desperate Housewives. Portrayed by actor Neal McDonough, he is excited to bring the leadership skills he demonstrated as landlord and motivational speaker to the commercial sector of tabletop gaming and online garden-wall construction, a spokesperson told Ibrandul News.

"David is a real visionary," the spokesperson added. "He frequently hallucinates."

 

[mamba]

Just because the public was given two weeks notice, does not mean the board or Hasbro was given two weeks notice

they are starting the search for a successor now... there is no way they had advance notice

EDIT: Also "She informed Hasbro of her plans on April 15, and the resignation will be effective on April 26, an 11-day notice. " should settle this

 

[Tbiafore]

You don't get 2 weeks notice if you're fired. As far as the new edition, it's pretty much done at this point. The D&D books aren't where the real money is anyway.

You are wrong....

If the CEO is involved in a scandal or serious wrongdoing, they might be asked to leave immediately to minimize further damage. However, it's very common to have a window of transition for CEOs. Happens all the time.

The CEO's employment contract likely outlines severance packages and notice periods. Negotiations might occur, leading to a short stay or immediate departure.

Companies often consider the public image as well. A forced resignation can be messy. A short notice period might be chosen to avoid a drawn-out public spectacle, while a longer period could allow for a smoother transition and appoint a successor.

 

[Oofta]

if she left voluntarily, we should learn something about where she went soon enough

Or she's leaving for personal reasons.

 

[Gradine]

You don't get 2 weeks notice if you're fired.

That may be the case for you or me, but once you get high enough up the payscale places tend to replace "getting fired" with "strongly encouraged to resign and offered a generous severance package to get the hell out".

 

[Micah Sweet]

Impossible to say, really. It could be as simple as just getting a better offer elsewhere, or something more dramatic, but either way we’ll probably never know.

It certainly seems abrupt. Two weeks notice for that high a position with no replacement in mind seems unusual to me if it's entirely her choice and not the result of some kind of pressure.

 

[tetrasodium]

Very interesting. We obviously don't know anything about why she resigned, but I can tell you that this short notice and lack of a replacement already in place is unusual. What you want, especially when a big launch is coming up, is stability. This isn't it. No idea what's going on, but hopefully it's not a health-related issue.

Edited to add: I know people are saying "maybe she just got another job." The thing is, when you're at this level, everyone knows everyone. You don't jump with this little notice just for another job. Your next employer won't want you to do something like this to them.

Agreed, especially at a company under a parent company. Usually you see this kinda thing when the CEO is given rope over and over again in exchange for allowing them to continue on a course they set with an expectation that hasn't het played out as claims suggested it would. Eventually all of that rope catches up & the parent company tells them to resign or else.

Edit: That's not the only time though, it's just a common situation