Deirdre O’Brien

An Apple veteran of over 35 years, Deirdre O’Brien manages the tech giant’s retail teams as senior vice president, leading the way on its global retail expansion, including in emerging markets. She oversees a diverse range of functions, from training and development at Apple University to diversity and inclusion, compensation, benefits, and more. In March, O’Brien added Apple’s top people manager spot to her retail duties, returning to a role she’d held from 2017 to 2023. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from San Jose State University.

Over the past year, O’Brien has overseen store openings in the U.S., China, Spain, and Sweden, as well as the launch of Apple’s first-ever retail location in Malaysia; further openings in India, the U.S., Japan, and the UAE are slated for later in 2025.