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Apple has promoted Sabih Khan to chief operating officer, putting him in control of the corporate’s supply chain when the tech giant and its peers are navigating Donald Trump’s trade war.
Khan, who joined Apple in 1995, will take over at the tip of the month from his current boss Jeff Williams, who led the event of the iWatch, as a part of what the corporate described as a “long-planned succession.”
Williams, a 27-year veteran of the corporate, took over leadership of Apple’s vast supply chains in 2015 and had been viewed as a possible successor to Tim Cook, who held the COO role before being appointed chief executive.
Cook described Sabih as a “sensible strategist” and considered one of the “central architects” of Apple’s supply chain.
The appointment comes as Apple faces challenges, including threats from Trump that the corporate and rival Samsung will probably be hit with 25 per cent tariffs unless they shift production of their devices to the US.
Trade relations between China and the US have improved recently, however the US president’s volatile approach to trade policy has complicated Apple’s task in managing its vast global supply chain.
Trump’s threat to the corporate marked an escalation of what he described as “just a little problem with Tim Cook”, who in May said factories in India would supply the “majority” of iPhones sold within the US as soon as next 12 months in response to high American tariffs on goods made in China.
Sabih had “helped pioneer latest technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple’s manufacturing footprint in america, and helped make sure that Apple will be nimble in response to global challenges”, Cook said in an announcement on Tuesday.
Khan has been Apple’s senior vice-president of operations since 2019, with responsibility for product quality and overseeing planning, manufacturing partners and logistics.
Williams would proceed to oversee Apple’s design team and the corporate’s health initiatives, however the design unit would transition to reporting on to Cook after Williams retired “late within the 12 months”, the corporate said.