A screenshot from Pokémon Violet (2022), Nintendo
Seani Armitage, a former Yoga instructor and Corporate Responsibility Manager at fashion retailer ASOS, announced she’s The Pokemon Company’s new DEI and Social Responsibility Consultant.
Detective Pikachu in Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019), Warner Bros. Pictures
Armitage posted to LinkedIn, “After 9.5 years at ASOS, the time has come to move on to something new! It’s been quite the journey at ASOS, many years spent building confidence in my abilities, stepping outside of my comfort zone, and continuously challenging myself to be better, so feeling readier than ever to start this new chapter as DEI & Social Responsibility consultant at The Pokémon Company International.”
She added, “I’m looking forward to joining a wonderful team, with new learnings, laughs, impact, and a crash course in all things Pokémon!”
Seani Armitage on LinkedIn
Armitage previously shared in a post on LinkedIn how one of her highlights at ASOS was “seeing sooooo many young kids at Pride.”
She wrote, “There’s SO much joy at Pride and I think it’s one of the best days of the year. I get to celebrate it with my best friends and see all the amazing communities and organisations who are centring the LGBTQ+ community! This year was my first year participating in the march with ASOS, and thanks to Jordan and all the THEYSOSers efforts planning the day, it wasn’t a let down!”
“One of my many highlights was seeing sooooo many young kids at Pride, and seeing all those parents making a conscious effort for their children to know that being LGBTQ+ is something to be celebrated, embraced and proud of, and that if they grow up to be part of the LGBTQ+ family, they’ll be loved and encouraged to be themselves,” she continued. “EVERYONE should be, and deserves to be, accepted for who they are, and their gender identity or sexuality should never be a reason not to be accepted or loved.”
Seani Armitage on LinkedIn
Not only did she indicate that indoctrinating children was one of her highlights while participating in a parade while at ASOS, but she also raved about how DEI ideology was being institutionalized within the fashion industry.
She wrote in a post to LinkedIn, “I joined Daniel Peters and Tiffany Fraser at the Fashion Retail Academy to discuss the current state of DEI within the fashion industry. So many of the students are centring DEI conversations in their final major projects which demonstrates just how much DEI is starting to solidify itself within the core of the industry! It was interesting to get their perspective as both consumers and future industry professionals – best of luck for the final projects!
She also indicated that was developing a strategy to externalize ASOS’ DEI strategy, “Looking forward to coming back to a productive August, where we’ll be onboarding ethnic minority-owned brands onto our incubator programme and working hard to deliver ASOS’s first ever external DEI strategy.”
Seani Armitage on LinkedIn
Armitage’s announcement comes about six months after The Pokemon Company published a job listing for a Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Responsibility at its location in Bellevue, Washington.
The job listing appeared to share that the position’s role is to discriminate in hiring practices. The job’s summary read, “The Director Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Responsibility facilitates and promotes The Pokémon Company International’s (TPCi) global culture of innovation, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.”
The listing continued, “This role will partner with the DEISR Team to build diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and Social Responsibility (SR) initiatives and programs to influence employee engagement, talent acquisition, talent management, charitable community engagement and marketplace opportunities across our global team to engage and retain talent and foster relationships in local and global communities.”
“This role will ensure that the core elements of TPCi culture are well-defined and ever-present to employees, highlighting engagement as an essential component to support a positive, diverse, inclusive, innovative, and high-achieving environment. This position will report to the Vice President and Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer (CDO), lead the DEISR team, and will partner with stakeholders across the organization and operate as an internal business consultant,” it concludes.
The position was paying between $178,000 and $211,850 for new hires with an upward ceiling of $267,000.
Screenshot from Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet (2022), Game Freak
This job followed the company’s $25 million pledge to various organizations to support children and social equity back in 2022.
The company shared at the time, “At The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), we believe in inclusion and belonging! Alongside our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and our Company Core Values, our Employee Resource Groups help us all become the very best (that no one ever was)!”
The company revealed four employee resource groups. They include: The Pokémon Black Diaspora, Familia Pokémon, The Rainbow Gym, Women of Pokémon, and TPCi Parents.
Screenshot from Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022), Game Freak
Familia Pokémon is described by The Pokémon Company, “¡Bienvenidos! We are a group of Latinx/Hispanic employees who are united by experiences, food, language and so many aspects of our cultures. We come together as a familia which means family in Spanish and Portuguese, and our purpose is to foster the professional development of our members in the interactive entertainment industry, as well as to facilitate recruitment and retention of our talent, while promoting awareness and inclusion of the Latinx/Hispanic community and culture.”
The Pokémon Black Diaspora description reads, “We are The Pokémon Black Diaspora (TPBD) Employee Resource Group! Our aim is to aid in the creation of an inclusive company culture by providing a supportive and uplifting community for Black employees throughout TPCi. We’ll achieve this through education, community development, recruitment, and engagement with folks – inside and outside the office. We want to create a place where every Black employee has a space where they can collaborate, relax, and empower each other throughout their daily lives. Black excellence and Black representation!”
The Rainbow Gym states, “Welcome to the Rainbow Gym, TPCi’s official Employee Resource Group on a mission to celebrate LGBTQIA+ employees! In addition to creating a safe place for queer folks and allies, we provide helpful resources to allow for open discussions and internal support, with the understanding of the intersectionalities of the larger community. The Rainbow Gym works with leaders and departments to promote inclusion at all levels, including initiatives related to engagement, talent acquisition, professional development, and community-building.”
A screenshot from Detective Pikachu Returns (2023), Nintendo
Women of Pokémon reads, “Women of Pokémon (WxP) is committed to empowering all TPCi employees who identify as women, non-binary people, and all people of marginalized genders. WxP will partner widely with a broad group of cohorts to identify and promote equity. Specifically, WxP strives to achieve equity in development, recruitment strategies, retention, and networking opportunities for all people of marginalized genders at TPCi. WxP’s focus is to identify and help activate areas that will provide increased internal support for employees while serving as a helpful resource and fostering a sense of safety for the WxP constituency.”
Finally, TPCi Parents reads, “At the TPCi Parents ERG, we’re building off the love for children and family exemplified in the Pokémon brand in order empower parents to thrive both at work and at home! Parenthood is an ever-evolving journey that intersects all aspects of life and comes in many shapes. This group recognizes that by improving support for parents within TPCi, we will attract and retain talent and improve employee engagement among those who identify as parents. This will be done through advancing company-focused initiatives such as advancing resources and benefits while providing speakers and coaching. We will also promote networking initiatives and a community of support.”
As for the organizations that The Pokémon Company was going to give to, it includes a number of radical leftist organizations including The Trevor Project, 100 Black Men of London, Black Girls CODE, BGC Canada, Interfaith America, Young Women Empowered, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Stop AAPI Hate, and more.
A screenshot from Pokémon Violet (2022), Nintendo
What do you make of The Pokemon Company hiring Seani Armstrong, who relishes in targeting children with the LGBTQ+ agenda?
