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TechMost Powerful Women

Apple Has a New ‘Vice President of People’

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
July 21, 2017, 2:28 PM ET

Apple has a new leader to oversee the company’s human resources department.

The consumer technology giant said Friday that it has appointed Deirdre O’Brien to be its new “vice president of People,” and she will report to Apple’s (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook. With her new role, O’Brien will manage all-things HR for Apple, like recruiting, employee benefits, and compensation. She will also lead the company’s corporate training program, Apple University.

Prior to her appointment, O’Brien was the company’s vice president of worldwide sales and operations and has worked at Apple for almost 30 years.

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“As long as I’ve been at Apple, Deirdre has been the glue that bonds our operations, sales, marketing and finance teams to deliver products to our customers,” Cook said in a statement.

The new management appointment is the latest in several executive changes Apple has made in recent months. Earlier this week, Apple named Isabel Ge Mahe as the company’s managing director of Greater China. Ge Mahe was previously in charge of leading Apple’s wireless technology team.

In May, Apple moved its former HR chief, Denise Young Smith, to a new position it calls the vice president for inclusion and diversity.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
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Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

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