Apple
- Apple's new head of
retail is Deirdre O'Brien, a 30-year veteran of the company. - She has a background in operations and has worked closely with CEO Tim Cook for years.
- She also was on the team that launched the original Apple store, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider.
There's been a shakeup in Apple's executive ranks.
Apple's former head of retail, Angela Ahrendts, is out. Taking her place is Deirdre O'Brien, who leads Apple's HR division, and who is adding retail to her workload.
Now she's in charge of 70,000 retail employees in over 500 stores across the world.
O'Brien is the third head of Apple retail in seven years, and she's the first Apple insider to take the job since the original retail chief, Ron Johnson, who opened the first store in 2001.
As a longtime Apple executive, she lives a private life, but it's clear she's a major force inside Cupertino.
Meet Deirdre O'Brien: