Humam Sakhnini
Business executive (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Humam Sakhnini (born September 1968)[1] is a management consultant, financial technology entrepreneur, and technology and video game industry executive, who has served as the chief executive officer of Discord since April 2025. He was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company, and held senior roles at Activision Blizzard and its subsidiary King Digital Entertainment, including president of King and, later, vice chairman at Activision Blizzard.[2][3][4]
Humam Sakhnini | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 (age 57–58) |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Employer | Discord |
| Known for | Chief executive of Discord; former president of King Digital Entertainment |
| Title | Chief Executive Officer |
| Term | 2025–present |
Biography
Early life and education
Sakhnini spent a part of his teenage years in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.[5]
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in economics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada before receiving a Master of Arts (MA) in economics from Queen's University at Kingston in 1992. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Yale School of Management in 2001.[6][7][8][9]
Early career
Sakhnini initially worked for the investment bank Nesbitt Burns and for the Department of Finance Canada.[7][6] He participated in the 28th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Economics Association in Calgary in June 1994,[10] and authored three of Department of Finance's Fiscal Policy and Economic Analysis Branch working papers in 1995.[10][11][12] In one of these papers, written jointly with Steven James and Chris Matier, he argued in favor of pre-funded pension plans for the baby boomer generation as a source of investment and economic growth, siding with the World Bank in the debate over the future of the Canada Pension Plan.[13]
He later founded and co-directed the financial technology firm ISGroup, which provided services to mutual funds and hedge funds.[6]
In the 2000s, he spent eight years as a partner (or associate principal[14]) at McKinsey & Company advising media and technology executives.[15][8]
Activision Blizzard
He joined Activision Blizzard in July 2009 as executive vice president for corporate strategy and business development, and in February 2012 became the company's chief strategy and talent officer.[6][16] He later served as a vice chairman at Activision Blizzard, overseeing a portfolio that included franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush.[3]
Sakhnini joined the London-based King in April 2016 as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer after leading its acquisition by Activision Blizzard.[17] In January 2019, he was appointed president of the company, overseeing operational management of King's mobile game portfolio including Candy Crush Saga.[18] In February 2022, King announced that Tjodolf Sommestad would succeed Sakhnini as president[4] and Sakhnini would return to the United States.[19] Sakhnini subsequently helped Bobby Kotick oversee Activision Blizzard at the time of its acquisition by Microsoft and left the company not long after the process was completed in October 2023.[20]
Discord
On 23 April 2025, Discord announced that Sakhnini would become chief executive officer as co-founder Jason Citron transitioned to a board role and CEO advisor. The company stated that the leadership change would help it scale and prepare for future opportunities.[2] Discord said the transition would take effect on 28 April 2025.[21] Technology outlets including Bloomberg News and TechCrunch reported the appointment, noting Sakhnini's prior roles at Activision Blizzard and King.[3][22] Citron simultaneously published a message to employees about “passing the torch.”[23] On September 22nd, 2025, Sakhnini was sent a letter from the United States House Committee on Homeland Security asking him to provide a written testimony for a hearing to examine "the radicalization of online forum users" following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.[24][25][26]