Apple Marketing Head Steps Down From Role -- WSJ
August 05 2020 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Sebastian Herrera
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (August 5, 2020).
Phil Schiller, a close friend of Steve Jobs who helped remake
Apple Inc. from a struggling computer maker into the world's
largest company, is stepping aside as the tech company's head of
marketing and will become an "Apple Fellow."
Mr. Schiller, who began working at Apple in 1987 before leaving
and rejoining the company after Mr. Jobs returned in 1996, will
continue to lead the App Store and Apple Events in his new role,
and Greg Joswiak will become senior vice president of world-wide
marketing, Apple said Tuesday.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said Mr. Schiller will continue
to provide "thought partnership" in his new role. "Phil helped make
Apple the company it is today and his contributions are broad, fast
and run deep," he said in a statement.
Mr. Schiller, 60 years old, said it was time for some "planned
changes" in his life and that he wanted to make time for family,
friends and personal projects. "I'll keep working here as long as
they will have me, " he said.
Mr. Joswiak has served in Apple leadership roles for more than
20 years, including as vice president of world-wide product
marketing for the past four years.
The transition from Mr. Schiller to Mr. Joswiak, who is often
referred to by the nickname Joz, should be smooth as the two have
worked together closely for years, said Tim Bajarin, founder of
Creative Strategies, who has covered Apple as an analyst for three
decades.
"At Apple, marketing has really been central to strategy; it's
how they position the company, and that's where Phil was superb,"
Mr. Bajarin said. "He drove the brand -- who Apple is, what Apple
stood for and what Apple needed to be."
Mr. Schiller's role change comes as Apple battles uncertainty in
the consumer phone market caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The
iPhone maker has shown great resilience amid the global outbreak.
It reported $11.25 billion in quarterly profit last week that came
from sustained demand across its products, although it announced
its annual fall update to its iPhone lineup would be delayed by a
few weeks.
Apple has given the role of "fellow" to a number of employees
who are seen as having made a substantial contribution to the
company even as in some cases their day-to-day responsibilities
were reduced. Notable fellows at Apple include co-founder Steve
Wozniak.
Mr. Jobs recruited Mr. Schiller to come back to Apple when Mr.
Jobs returned to the company after being ousted in 1985, according
to the biography of Mr. Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
The former Boston College graduate played an integral role in
product launches of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, as well as in Apple
advertising, as he held a variety of executive roles at the company
in recent decades.
In June, Mr. Schiller led Apple's efforts in its first virtual
Worldwide Developers Conference, which was praised by developers
and participants and seen as a bellwether for the potential of
online conferences during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Schiller's move comes as other longtime executives have also
left. The company lost several executives last year, most notably
longtime design chief Jony Ive. Mr. Ive's departure announcement
came two months after retail chief Angela Ahrendts also left Apple
and was followed by the resignation of Walt Disney Co. Chairman
Robert Iger from Apple's board.
Steve Dowling, Apple's former head of communications, also left
last year. Mr. Schiller oversaw the communications team on an
interim basis following Mr. Dowling's departure.
--Tripp Mickle contributed to this article.
Write to Sebastian Herrera at Sebastian.Herrera@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 05, 2020 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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