By Anjali Sharma
NEW YOIRK –Apple on Wednesday announced Sabih Khan an Indian-American executive originally from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh has named the next Chief Operating Officer of Apple in a major leadership shift at one of the most influential tech companies globally.
The announcement was made via an official press release on July 8 and is part of a long-planned succession strategy.
He will take over from longtime Apple executive Jeff Williams by the end of this month.
Khan as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations, brings three decades of experience at the company.
“Sabih is a brilliant strategist who has been one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
“While overseeing Apple’s supply chain, he has helped pioneer new technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple’s manufacturing footprint in the United States, and helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges,” Cook added
Khan has also led Apple’s efforts in environmental sustainability and ethical sourcing in addition to operational expertise.”.
“He has advanced our ambitious efforts in environmental sustainability, helping reduce Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60 percent,” Cook added.
“Above all, Sabih leads with his heart and his values, and I know he will make an exceptional chief operating officer.”
Jeff Williams has served as COO since 2015, will remain at Apple until his retirement later this year, the company announced.
He will report to CEO Tim Cook while overseeing Apple’s design team and its expanding health-related initiatives, including the Apple Watch. Upon his retirement, the design team will report directly to Cook.
Williams expressed strong confidence in Khan’s leadership, said, “I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Sabih for 27 years and I think he’s the most talented operations executive on the planet.”
Khan holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and a master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
He joined Apple’s procurement team in 1995 after working at GE Plastics as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader, according to his bio posted on Apple website.
