Tim Cook’s email to employees announcing hiring of Angela Ahrendts as retail chief

Apple CEO Tim Cook has issued the following email to employees regarding the hiring of Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts as Apple’s retail chief:

I am thrilled to announce that Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple as a senior vice president and member of our executive team, reporting directly to me. Angela is currently the CEO of Burberry.

She will lead both our retail and online teams. I have wanted one person to lead both of these teams for some time because I believe it will better serve our customers, but I had never met anyone whom I felt confident could lead both until I met Angela. We met for the first time last January, and I knew in that meeting that I wanted her to join Apple. We’ve gotten to know each other over the past several months and I’ve left each conversation even more impressed.

Angela Ahrendts
Angela Ahrendts
She shares our values and our focus on innovation. She places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She cares deeply about people and embraces our view that our most important resource and our soul is our people. She believes in enriching the lives of others and she is wicked smart. Angela has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record. She led Burberry through a period of phenomenal growth with a focus on brand, culture, core values and the power of positive energy.

Angela will need to focus over the coming months on transitioning her current role at Burberry and will then join Apple in the spring. I am sure as all of you meet her, you will see why I am so excited that she is joining our executive team. I’d like to add a special thanks to all of our retail leaders. Your strength, talent and leadership afforded me the luxury of taking the time to perform an exhaustive search to find the best person in the world for this role.

MacDailyNews Note: Also of note, former Apple retail guru Ron Johnson approves:

https://twitter.com/JonErlichman/statuses/390137029737979904

Related articles:
Apple hires Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts as retail chief – October 15, 2013
Burberry CEO discusses iPhone 5s collaboration with Apple – September 17, 2013
Apple grants Burberry early access to iPhone 5s for fashion show photography – September 12, 2013
Apple’s long hunt for retail store chief continues – January 7, 2013
Apple Retail Stores in dire need of competent leadership – November 7, 2012
What’s – and who’s – next for Apple Retail Stores – October 31, 2012
Tim Cook takes full control of Apple: John Browett and Scott Forstall out; Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi get expanded responsibilities – October 29, 2012
Report traces Apple Store ‘mistake’ all the way to Tim Cook; shift in emphasis from service to profits comes from Cook, say insiders – August 29, 2012
Reports persist of Apple Retail Store budget cuts, emphasis on revenue over customer satisfaction – August 28, 2012
After being Browettized, Apple Retail touts numbers – August 20, 2012
Apple newbie John Browett brings Dixons to Apple Retail Stores – August 17, 2012
Dear Tim Cook: Apple’s retail focus should be on delighting customers, not generating cash – August 16, 2012
Apple Retail Store chief Browett: ‘We messed up’ with Dixons-eque staffing gamble; refutes layoffs – August 16, 2012
Apple retail chief Browett to get $56 million golden hello – May 27, 2012
Apple grants 100,000 shares to new retail head John Browett – April 25, 2012
Tim Cook emails UK customer: John Browett’s role isn’t to bring Dixons to Apple Retail – February 1, 2012
Eyebrows raised over Apple’s hiring of Dixons CEO to run Apple Retail Stores – January 31, 2012
Apple hires Dixons CEO John Browett as new retail chief – January 31, 2012
Burberry to outfit retail staff with Apple iPads in China stores – April 13, 2011

26 Comments

  1. As an Apple fan, allow me to say how happy I am that Apple is bringing in such a truly qualified professional for this important job. I feel good things are in store for Apple’s retail business with a person of this caliber heading it.

    And as a heterosexual male, allow me to say “hubba hubba hubba”!

    ——RM

    1. I agree, good things to come with her leading retail and online divisions. I can hear Tim’s voice when I read the letter, but I can’t imagine him saying, hubba, hubba, hubba! Well said, sir.

    1. The clock is ticking, x. You’re wasting your time, generating toxic chemicals in your hateful body, wasting precious time. Go follow your bliss instead of generating negative karma which wins you nothing good at all, and says more about you and your own life or lack thereof than any of your targets.

  2. Akido Moves like this is what separates the wheat from the Chaff (Apple vs Microsoft, Crackberyy, Samsung etc) Well done Tim Cook, you have pulled a great advantage over the desperate and beleaguered liars

    1. He has executed a palace coup, pulled a rabbit out of the silk hat; hornswoggled the daft and muted the bleaters, sent an electric signal to the market that he is not fooling around but is building a new and more vital team than any existing under Steve Jobs. Wait. See.

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.