Johanna Faries: President of Blizzard Entertainment

Early Life & Education

Johanna Faries is a multi-sport athlete who grew up in Potomac, Maryland, and lived abroad in Israel and the Dominican Republic. Her dad, John Faries, an IBM and Microsoft software engineer, got her into video games early. A natural competitor from a young age, she played violin, basketball, soccer, softball and track and field, and achieved black belt status in martial arts during her high school years.

Faries went on to attend Harvard University, where she excelled both academically and as a campus leader. At Harvard, she was President of the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, the college’s largest multicultural student organization, and received a Senior Leadership Award in 2003 as a “face of excellence at Harvard.” She also edited the “Let’s Go” travel guidebook during her college years.

Johanna Faries Full Biography & Wiki

Attribute	Details
Full Name	Johanna Faries
Current Role (2026)	President of Blizzard Entertainment (Activision Blizzard)
Previous Roles	– SVP & General Manager of Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard (2018–2024) – Vice President of Club Business Development, NFL (12 years in various leadership roles)
Major Achievements	– Oversaw Call of Duty franchise strategy and live operations – Led creation and management of the global Call of Duty League (12 city-based teams) – Helped launch NFL’s first ticketing network – Executive Champion of Activision Blizzard’s Black Employee Network
Education	Harvard University (1999–2003)
Awards & Recognition	– Fortune 40 Under 40 (2019) – Sports Illustrated “Most Powerful Women in Sports” (2020) – Variety500 Business Leaders (2022) – Adweek “Most Powerful Women in Sports” (2019) – SportsPro Top 10 Influencers (2020)
Industry Experience	– Video Games & Esports (Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Entertainment) – Professional Sports (NFL)
Board & Advisory Roles	Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission Advisory Board
Languages	Spanish, Hebrew
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Personal Background	Grew up as a multisport athlete; lives with husband and sons

Career route

After graduating from Harvard, Johanna Faries joined the U.S. National Football League (NFL), where she worked for nearly 12 years in a variety of roles, gaining broad experience in marketing, strategy and business development. In her role as Vice President of Club Business Development, she worked with NFL team owners and presidents to build their local businesses year-round, and played a key role in launching the NFL’s first-of-its-kind ticketing network.

Faries came to Activision in 2018 to head up Call of Duty esports. She was responsible for Call of Duty eSports league and business operations, product development and corporate strategy. During the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League the franchise hit a number of major milestones including the most-watched esports event in franchise history, its Championship Weekend. She eventually became Senior Vice President and General Manager of the entire Call of Duty franchise.

In January 2024, Blizzard Entertainment announced Johanna Faries as its new president, the studio’s first new leader since Microsoft acquired its parent company, Activision Blizzard, for $69 billion. With this appointment, she was the first woman and the first person of color to be president of Blizzard Entertainment. In her role she oversees Blizzard’s global product portfolio, including Warcraft, Overwatch and Diablo, and is responsible for development, publishing, strategy and franchise growth.

Personal Life

Johanna Faries keeps her personal life private, but has shared a few glimpses of life beyond the boardroom. She has described herself as a mother of two who enjoys yoga, video games and prayer. She’s a professional singer-songwriter, too, a creative pursuit she followed straight out of college before launching her corporate career. She has spoken affectionately about the vital role her faith, family and community play in her life and credits her “incredible husband” and extended network as the pillars of her success.

Her experiences living abroad changed her permanently. While doing community service work in the Dominican Republic she was embedded in an underprivileged part of Santo Domingo which opened her eyes to different cultures and inspired deep personal reflection about wealth, poverty and joy. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and sons.

Net Worth

Johanna Faries earnings have not been released publicly, but she is estimated to be worth around $5 million through her role as General Manager at Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard and her rise to one of the most prominent executive positions in the gaming industry worldwide as President of Blizzard Entertainment.

Relationships

She is a married woman. However, she keeps her husband’s identity very close to herself. She says her husband has been a huge supporter of her career at every step along the way, and considers her family — her children, extended family, former colleagues, friends and mentors — as the “village” that has helped shape her into the leader she is today. She and her husband are the parents of two sons and they reside together in the Los Angeles, California area.

Achievements and Awards

Johanna Faries has had a decorated career, earning numerous accolades along the way. She was named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Sports” by Sports Illustrated in 2020, and was on Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list of most influential young business leaders in 2019. She has also been named one of the most powerful women in sports by Adweek and has spoken at major events such as the Michigan Business Conference and the Esports Business Summit. Faries, a three-time honoree on Variety500’s list of influential business leaders and trailblazing champion of diversity and inclusion across the sports and entertainment industries. She has held executive roles in a wide variety of diversity, inclusion, career development and mentorship programs throughout her career, including serving as Executive Champion of Activision Blizzard’s Black Employee Network.

Conclusions

Johanna Faries is one of the most fascinating executive figures in the current entertainment landscape. She has broken down barriers and redefined leadership in male-dominated industries since her days as a multi-sport athlete and Harvard scholar, through her decade in the NFL and her transformative work with Call of Duty. As President of Blizzard Entertainment, she is stewarding some of gaming’s most iconic franchises — Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch — at a pivotal time in the industry’s history. Johanna Faries is a songwriter, a mother, a mentor and a history-maker who embodies the fact that great leadership is built not on a single talent but on a lifetime of diverse, courageous experiences.

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