Apple announces executive transitions

Key Terms

general counsel regulatory

A general counsel is the chief lawyer of an organization, responsible for overseeing all legal matters and ensuring the company complies with laws and regulations. Think of them as the organization's legal advisor or navigator, helping to prevent legal problems before they happen. Their role matters to investors because they help protect the company from legal risks that could impact its success and value.

senior vice president financial

A senior vice president is a high-ranking executive within a company who oversees large parts of the organization and helps shape its overall strategy. They are often just below top leadership, making important decisions that can impact the company's success. For investors, this role indicates a person with significant responsibility and influence, which can affect the company's stability and growth prospects.

Government Affairs organization regulatory

A government affairs organization is a group that helps a company or organization understand and influence government policies, laws, and regulations. Think of it as a bridge between the organization and government officials, ensuring their interests are considered in decision-making. This matters to investors because changes in government rules can impact a company's operations, profitability, and long-term prospects.

Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives technical

Environment, policy, and social initiatives are efforts by organizations or governments to improve environmental health, create fair and effective rules, and support communities. These initiatives matter to investors because they can influence a company's reputation, regulatory compliance, and long-term sustainability, potentially impacting financial performance and risk. They reflect a commitment to responsible practices that can shape future growth and stability.

chief legal officer regulatory

A chief legal officer is a senior executive responsible for overseeing a company's legal matters, ensuring that its activities comply with laws and regulations. They act like a company's legal guide, helping to prevent legal problems and manage risks. For investors, understanding this role is important because it reflects how well a company manages legal risks that could impact its stability and reputation.

Office of Management and Budget regulatory

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a government agency responsible for coordinating the planning and administration of federal budgets and policies. It acts like a financial manager for the government, deciding how public funds are allocated and ensuring government activities run smoothly. For investors, its decisions can influence economic stability and government spending, which can impact markets and overall economic health.

principal deputy assistant attorney general regulatory

The principal deputy assistant attorney general is a senior official within the U.S. Department of Justice who helps oversee and manage the work of a specific legal division. Think of them as a key assistant or second-in-command, ensuring that legal strategies are carried out effectively. For investors, understanding this role highlights the importance of legal leadership in shaping policies and decisions that can impact regulatory environments and compliance.

law clerk technical

A law clerk is a legal professional who assists judges or lawyers by researching laws, preparing legal documents, and summarizing case information. Think of them as specialized assistants who help ensure legal decisions are well-informed and accurate. Their work matters to investors because it can influence court rulings and legal outcomes that impact businesses, regulations, and financial markets.

Jennifer Newstead to join Apple as senior vice president, will become general counsel in March 2026

Kate Adams to retire late next year

Lisa Jackson to retire

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Apple® today announced that Jennifer Newstead will become Apple’s general counsel on March 1, 2026, following a transition of duties from Kate Adams, who has served as Apple’s general counsel since 2017. She will join Apple as senior vice president in January, reporting to CEO Tim Cook and serving on Apple’s executive team.

In addition, Lisa Jackson, vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, will retire in late January 2026. The Government Affairs organization will transition to Adams, who will oversee the team until her retirement late next year, after which it will be led by Newstead. Newstead’s title will become senior vice president, General Counsel and Government Affairs, reflecting the combining of the two organizations. The Environment and Social Initiatives teams will report to Apple chief operating officer Sabih Khan.

“Kate has been an integral part of the company for the better part of a decade, having provided critical advice while always advocating on behalf of our customers’ right to privacy and protecting Apple’s right to innovate,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “I am incredibly grateful to her for the leadership she has provided, for her remarkable determination across a myriad of highly complex issues, and above all, for her thoughtfulness, her deeply strategic mind, and her sound counsel.”

“I am deeply appreciative of Lisa's contributions. She has been instrumental in helping us reduce our global greenhouse emissions by more than 60 percent compared to 2015 levels,” said Cook. “She has also been a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world, advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics, as well as advancing our values, from education and accessibility to privacy and security.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have Jennifer join our team,” said Cook. “She brings an extraordinary depth of experience and skill to the role, and will advance Apple’s important work all over the world. We are also pleased that Jennifer will be overseeing both the Legal and Government Affairs organizations, given the increasing overlap between the work of both teams and her substantial background in international affairs. I know she will be an excellent leader going forward.”

“I have long admired Apple’s deep focus on innovation and strong commitment to its values, its customers, and to making the world a better place,” said Newstead. “I am honored to join the company and to lead an extraordinary team who are dedicated each and every day to doing what’s in the best interest of Apple’s users.”

“It has been one of the great privileges of my life to be a part of Apple, where our work has always been about standing up for the values that are the foundation of this great company,” said Adams. “I am proud of the good our wonderful team has done over the past eight years, and I am filled with gratitude for the chance to have made a difference. Jennifer is an exceptional talent and I am confident that I am leaving the team in the very best hands, and I’m really looking forward to working more closely with the Government Affairs team.”

“Apple is a remarkable company and it has been a true honor to lead such important work here,” said Jackson. “I have been lucky to work with leaders who understand that reducing our environmental impact is not just good for the environment, but good for business, and that we can do well by doing good. And I am incredibly grateful to the teams I’ve had the privilege to lead at Apple, for the innovations they’ve helped create and inspire, and for the advocacy they’ve led on behalf of our users with governments around the world. I have every confidence that Apple will continue to have a profoundly positive impact on the planet and its people.”

Newstead was most recently chief legal officer at Meta and previously served as the legal adviser of the U.S. Department of State, where she led the legal team responsible for advising the Secretary of State on legal issues affecting the conduct of U.S. foreign relations. She held a range of other positions in government earlier in her career as well, including as general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, as a principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice, as associate White House counsel, and as a law clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court. She also spent a dozen years as partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, where she advised global corporations on a wide variety of issues. Newstead holds an AB from Harvard University and a JD from Yale Law School.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

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Josh Rosenstock

Apple

jrosenstock@apple.com

Source: Apple Inc.