Who is Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s new head of retail?

“From outside Apple, new retail chief Deirdre O’Brien appears to have been a low-profile executive,” William Gallagher reports for AppleInsider. “But, she’s spent three decades at the center of Apple’s operations, personnel and sales.”

“Officially, Angela Ahrendts remains Apple’s senior vice president of retail until April but her successor, Deirdre O’Brien, has already taken up the new post of senior vice president of People + Retail,” Gallagher reports. “It’s a role that has immediately made her one of Apple’s highest profile executives, directly and visibly in charge of the online store, 506 retail outlets and some 70,000 staff.”

“O’Brien was already responsible for those, though, and in total for all 120,000 Apple staff in her previous role as solely senior vice president of people [human resources],” Gallagher reports. “[Apple CEO Tim] Cook joined Apple in March 1998 —and O’Brien had already been with the company for a decade. After earning a degree in operations management from Michigan State University and then an MBA from San Jose State University, she went straight to Apple in January, 1988.”

“Cook also said that O’Brien has been directly involved in every major Apple launch of the last 20 years,” Gallagher reports. “She’s also an insider, she’s someone who has not worked outside Apple. That has to give her advantages over her predecessors like Angela Ahrendts who came into Apple from fashion and John Browett who arrived from the UK’s Dixons electronics stores.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Under O’Brien’s guidance, may Apple Stores become even more enjoyable to visit than they were at their establishment!

SEE ALSO:
Angela Ahrendts’ Apple departure points to wider mystery – February 6, 2019
Examining Angela Ahrendts’ five-year tenure as head of Apple Retail – February 6, 2019
Apple CEO Cook thanks Angela Ahrendts in company-wide memo to employees – February 6, 2019
Apple names third retail chief in seven years – February 6, 2019
Apple’s Angela Ahrendts to depart in April; Deirdre O’Brien named senior vice president of Retail + People – February 5, 2019