Angela Ahrendts has left fashion retailer Burberry and started her new position at Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores, according to an update to Apple’s Executive Profiles website on Friday.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, confirmed on the company’s quarterly earnings call last week that Ahrendts would be starting at the Cupertino-based company this week, following now-false rumors she would be staying on at Burberry until June.
Ahrendts has filled a position that has seen significant turnover in recent years. In 2011, Ron Johnson left for a CEO position at JC Penney, and his replacement, John Browett, was ousted in less than a year due to a conflict in strategy.
Ahrendts will report directly to Cook, according to Apple’s website, and “is responsible for the operation and expansion of Apple retail and online stores”. Interestingly, her profile is next to Cook’s on the Executive Profiles website, in front of Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi.
When the news of Ahrendts hire was announced in October 2013, Cook had high-praise for the new retail chief.
“I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team,” Cook said in a prepared statement. “She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.”
Putting Ahrendts in the leadership position at Apple is seen as a big deal for the Cupertino-based company’s retail sector. Fortune named her number four in its 2013 list of top executives.
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