Apple announced that its chief design officer Jony Ive is leaving the company to start his own company. Apple will be one of the primary clients at his new firm, and Ive will continue to work closely and on a range of projects with Apple, the company said.
Ive spent nearly 30 years with the company designing products from the Mac to the iPhone. His role will be taken over by design team leaders Evans Hankey, vice president of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, vice president of Human Interface Design, who will report to Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. Williams has led the development of Apple Watch since its inception and will spend more of his time working with the design team in their studio.
Separately, Apple announced the appointment of Sabih Khan, a 24-year Apple veteran, as senior vice president of Operations. Khan has lead key product operations and supply chain functions and will continue to report to Williams. In his new role, he will be in charge of Apple’s global supply chain, ensuring product quality and overseeing planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics and product fulfillment functions, as well as Apple’s supplier responsibility programs.
