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Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts is leaving in April

Apple’s retail leader, Angela Ahrendts, will leave the company in April, Apple announced this afternoon. Ahrendts joined Apple in spring 2014, coming over from her position as CEO of Burberry to serve as Apple’s head of retail.

Apple’s current human resources leader, Deirdre O’Brien, will take over as head of Apple’s retail and online store operations. O’Brien will continue to lead Apple’s HR team as well. She’s been at the company for three decades.

Ahrendts was a surprise choice when she joined Apple five years ago, having stepped down as the leader of a top fashion company to take the position. At the time, Apple was moving toward the release of the Apple Watch, which it had initially wanted to pitch as something akin to a luxury watch. That approach quickly failed, and the company resumed its broad consumer-focused approach.

During her time at Apple, Ahrendts has also overseen a revamp of the Apple store, bringing trees into the stores and attempting to turn them into community spaces. Apple says she will depart for “new personal and professional pursuits.”



from The Verge - Teches http://bit.ly/2Gu3GXT

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