Apple is about to change its leadership, with the new CEO appointing a retired deputy to return, and the management team is set for a major reshuffle
Apple's incoming CEO John Ternus is assembling a core team and has rehired retired Vice President of Hardware Engineering Laura Legros. Legros will report to Ternus after his official appointment on September 1 and will be responsible for cross-department coordination. This move is seen as Ternus making his mark in the new management team and a rare case of Apple rehiring a retired executive, signaling a major reshuffle in Apple's management
According to reports, Apple (AAPL.US) incoming CEO John Ternus is in the process of assembling his core management team, having brought back a trusted lieutenant who has worked with him for many years in the hardware engineering department.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Ternus has hired Laura Legros, who served as Apple's Vice President of Hardware Engineering until her retirement in 2022. As this personnel change has not yet been publicly announced, the sources requested anonymity. Legros will report directly to Ternus after he officially takes office as CEO on September 1.
This move indicates that Ternus is beginning to stamp his own mark on the new management team. It is also a rare case of Apple rehiring a retired executive. Ternus will succeed Tim Cook as CEO, who will transition to the role of Executive Chairman after serving as Apple's longest-serving CEO.
An Apple spokesperson based in Cupertino, California, declined to comment on the news.
It is reported that in her new role, Legros will serve as Vice President, responsible for cross-departmental coordination and horizontal collaboration with various business units of the company.
During her tenure at Apple, Legros was responsible for product delivery, development schedule management, and coordinating the collaboration between engineering teams to ensure overall alignment.
Before her retirement, she was one of Ternus's most trusted deputies. In 2018, she appeared at an Apple product launch event to introduce the new MacBook Air; two years later, she hosted the launch of the current iPad Air.
In recent months, Ternus has been shadowing Cook and participating in executive meetings. The incoming CEO has met with heads of various departments and participated in reviews of the roadmap for multiple business units for the coming year.
Additionally, since the end of last year, Ternus has spent considerable time communicating with Apple's design team. Reports indicate that in addition to bringing Legros into the new team, Ternus also plans to make adjustments to Apple's design department.
In the coming months and even years, Ternus will need to make more high-level personnel adjustments. Several core executives at Apple are nearing retirement age, and it is expected that several more executives will depart in the coming years.
Current head of government affairs Kate Adams, who previously served as General Counsel, has indicated plans to retire by the end of this year. Her position will be taken over by the new General Counsel Jennifer Newstead.
Additionally, former CFO Luca Maestri, who currently oversees the real estate and information systems team, and Phil Schiller, who stepped down as marketing chief in 2020 and now oversees the App Store, are also nearing the end of their careers at Apple
