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Angela Roseboro Of Riot Games On Rebuilding Trust And Growing The Pipeline

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Angela Roseboro is the Chief Diversity Officer for Riot Games. In this interview, Angela explains how she sees diversity work in the current moment. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Ilana Redstone: Can you tell me your title, how long you've been at Riot Games in your current capacity, and what motivates you in your current work?

Angela Roseboro: I am the Chief Diversity Officer for Riot Games. I also run talent acquisition. I've been at Riot since March of last year, so about 18 months. I was brought in to Riot to drive cultural transformation and our Diversity and Inclusion strategy, as well as embed diversity and inclusion practices in each of our growing functions and key people processes, like talent acquisition.

For instance, we work very closely with HR, which is part of our People department, to make sure all our processes, including our performance management process, are fair and equitable. We work to make sure diversity practices and guiding principles are embedded in that.

What motivates me in my work? I have to say there's so much that motivates me particularly now, because we have so much more opportunity to do more with Rioters and players.

As a company, we could no longer default to trust. We were in the midst of cultural transformation at Riot as we were revising our values and rebuilding bridges with Rioters. And seeing all the work take shape and hearing the experiences from Rioters first hand is humbling and inspiring.

Redstone: Do you think the current social moment has changed diversity and inclusion programming or efforts? If so, how?

Roseboro: I honestly think that it has given it a spotlight and it has created more opportunity. Diversity and inclusion for me, has always been about a strategy. But I do think that [the current moment] has made space for different conversations.

At Riot, we've been focused on people processes, such as talent acquisition and retention, and we've been working on ways to thoughtfully and deliberately create game products and initiatives that drive inclusive behaviors with measurable outcomes. That work will always be important. But in this moment, we took a step back and asked ourselves, "How can we make a difference that would systematically drive change in areas where we have agency to do so?" We wanted to build wealth in the communities we touch through our daily work, so we created The Underrepresented Founders Program, a $10M investment fund for underrepresented game developers. It is an opportunity that seems obvious now, but it wasn't on our radar.

Also, I think that [public] statements are great but the behaviors have to change and match those statements in order to stand the test of time. So even if we're recruiting and someone says, “Hey, I'm going to refer my friend,” we take the moment to say, “Let's have more diversity at the table.” I believe that this moment is a time where diversity practitioners and companies can double down on the things that we couldn't get done before — we can get them done now.

On the other side of the spectrum, there's now this executive order that says you can't use this type of diversity approach. As much as the space that we have has grown, there's also the other side, where people don’t want to have hard conversations, which makes this job harder. If you can't make people uncomfortable having these types of conversations, we won't grow.

While I appreciate where we are now in this space, there are new barriers that we didn't have before that we now have to overcome, but we're going to figure this out.

Redstone: What do you think are the areas for improvement in Diversity & Inclusion going forward?

Roseboro: Now that we are here, we have to be deliberate. I also think behavioral change is the most important thing that we have to not only drive, but to hold people accountable for. We need to be unapologetic about that. We still have to make sure you have a diverse pipeline and ensure that we are getting access to people who don't have it.

Our industry has a talent pipeline of people who have built their careers in gaming. Rather than continuously pulling from that pool, we must focus on expanding and diversifying it. That means, we need to provide access and opportunity to talent who haven't thought about the gaming industry as a career or profession. There is talent everywhere; we have to be proactive in letting them know we are here and give them the opportunity to bring their different expertises and perspectives into our company. That's part of driving behavior change in D&I.

Equity is about leveling the playing field. If you don’t have access, how do you even compete? This is particularly important when looking at early career talent. We need to be intentional in seeking out hidden gems, provide them with opportunities where traditionally they haven’t been given access.

Redstone: Given how politicized the workplaces now, how do you think about and navigate situations where people have differences of opinion on highly controversial topics?

Roseboro: I have been in the workforce for more than 20 years and there was a time where you did not talk about politics or religion at work. So, how do we have a conversation now that's evolved and we're here? I’ve been seeing and hearing that race is a political issue, and it shouldn’t be looked that way.

How are we going to navigate those differences? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And if someone is offended by something, I cannot discount their feelings because it is their truth. The key is creating a space to have a dialogue (and sometimes multiple ongoing conversations) and to learn, rather than shutting down the conversation. The hardest part is being uncomfortable with being uncomfortable. And the more we normalize it, the more people can get to own their truth.

The line for me is: When your opinion harms others, your space harms others. You are not creating a productive space, and that is where we have to draw the line.

I think if we come at it in this binary, one is right and what is wrong, that breaks down the conversation. But if you come with an open mind and leave with, “I get to hear you and you get to hear me,” we still get to walk away seeing things differently — we've made space for that.

To pretend that they're not happening hurts your opportunity to be more inclusive. We need to come in with a set of ground rules about how we should be having this conversation, how we should make sure that we are creating space for all voices?

We have to structure that so that it doesn't get disrespectful with rules of engagement about how we talk about controversial topics, where we enter and what the expectation is when we come out of it.

Redstone: Do you think that companies can make public statements on social justice and also be open to employees with different political orientations? If so, how?

Roseboro: Yes. Take the recent statements about racial inequality and justice. They work if they align with the values of the company and the community it represents. I think companies can say, “Yes, we believe in this.” It doesn't necessarily mean that they don't believe in other things. When a company makes a statement in support of an issue that is in line with its values (political or not), it for me doesn't necessarily mean those who have a different political affiliation are misaligned.

I also don't believe our focus on racial inequality and justice is a political statement - it's a statement about humanity. Diversity is not about creating advantages for select people. It's really about removing barriers for others. And that's what I think when companies are making stances, we’re removing the barriers that we know we have. To create more equality.

Redstone: How do you respond to situations when someone feels they've been on the receiving end of a micro-aggression, or one person says they're offended by something someone else has said?

Roseboro: Any group that is underrepresented and marginalized will feel a micro-aggression. I experience some kind of microaggression almost daily. Now that I have gotten more mature in my career, I expect them as a woman of color so I also prepare for them.

I was reminded of my own experiences while watching the Vice Presidential debate. I saw in this vice-presidential debate with Kamala Harris, where there was what I perceived to be a micro-aggression and she smiled through it and said, "I'm speaking, I'm speaking."

My advice is to determine how you will respond. Sometimes, it will be as simple as educating, other times it will be about understanding your tolerance. Now, having said that, calling out microaggressions can come with some risk because in some aspects you are calling out behaviors and in calling out behaviors, there may be unintended consequences.

That's why a lot of people don't call it out, because it takes courage. It is also disappointing when no one else helps. It’s always the person who's experienced the micro-aggression who has to call it out. There's a role that people in the room can play, so I don't always have to have the burden of calling it out.

In general, everyone has to be ready to create the space for dialogue and education, otherwise, it may lead to perpetuating labels and stereotypes. These are all things people have to weigh when speaking up, and as I've mentioned earlier, unfortunately, it's uncomfortable, but it's hard work that often needs to be done.

Redstone: What label?

Roseboro: Complainer, angry black woman. Unapproachable, defensive, angry, aggressive - all potentially career limiting. It is unfortunate. When you call out someone's micro-aggression, it is intentional and there is a certain possibility of how you may be perceived by the other person. But that person can be educated, become aware, and hopefully in the future, become an advocate or ally who can speak up for you and others. That’s how we create more inclusive environments.

I was recently in a meeting, where I experienced a micro-aggression and as I was deciding whether to address it, one of my colleagues called it out. It was a great moment and I thanked him afterwards.

We have to figure out an approach to have courageous conversations that don’t shut down discussion. We have to be able to invite people to ask questions.

Redstone: Is there anything you want to add that I haven't touched on?

Roseboro: Diversity is not a program. It's not an initiative, it's a strategy. It is a strategy of how you add better service to your customers, audiences and in our case, Rioters and players. It's a strategy to talk about how you get new markets. It's a strategy to get and invest in talent, and It touches every part of the organization. And so what I don't want to get lost in this moment where we can have so many great conversations, is that diversity drives innovation and creativity and every company needs that. This time gives us the opportunity to redefine — when people ask me what's the business case for diversity, I'm like, hey, diversity is the case for business.

Redstone: Thank you so much for your time. This has been great.

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