Apple has announced a new Chief Operations Officer (COO). The Cupertino-based giant has appointed Indian-origin Sabih Khan as the new COO of Apple Inc. Khan will be succeeding Jeff Williams, who has been serving as Apple’s COO for the last 10 years since 2015. Williams will continue working at Apple until his retirement later this year. He will be overseeing the Apple Watch and design teams.
Khan has been elevated from Vice President of Operations to COO and has been with Apple for the last 30 years. Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, Khan adds to an already extensive list of Indian-origin leaders in the global tech space.
WHO IS SABIH KHAN
Sabih Khan has been with Apple since the last 30 years (starting 1995) and is currently serving as the Vice President of Operations in the company. He was appointed Vice President of Operations in 2019, and according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Khan “has been one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain.”
Born in 1966 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, Sabih Khan moved to Singapore during school. He moved to the United States for higher education and holds a dual bachelors in Economics and Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University. Khan did his masters in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Before joining Apple, Khan used to work in GE Plastics as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader. He joined Apple in 1995 as a part of the procurement team.
Since joining Apple in 1995, Khan has held various positions in Apple including head of technical support, director of manufacturing strategy, and finally as the senior vice president of operations in 2019. Khan is mostly credited with setting up Apple’s supply chain where the iPhone maker has diversified its manufacturing footprint and has cut its carbon footprint by more than 60 percent.
TIM COOK ON SABIH KHAN
Apple CEO Tim Cook has also backed Khan and praised his work in the company. Cook noted that Khan has played a significant role in reducing Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60 percent. He also praised Khan’s work in terms of bringing innovation in advanced manufacturing technologies, expanding Apple’s manufacturing presence in the United States.
“Sabih is a brilliant strategist who has been one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain. 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,” Tim Cook said.
Even Khan’s predecessor, Jeff Williams praised his work. “I have had the pleasure to work with Sabih for 27 years and I think he’s the most talented operations executive on the planet. I have tremendous confidence in Apple’s future under his leadership and in this role,” Williams said.
