Apple Appoints Sabih Khan as New Chief Operating Officer to Lead Global Supply Chain.
Appointment
On July 8, 2025, Apple announced the appointment of Sabih Khan as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), succeeding Jeff Williams, who is set to retire later this year. The transition reflects a carefully planned leadership succession within the world’s most valuable technology company.
- Sabih Khan, an Indian-American born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh (India) in 1966, has been with Apple since 1995. He has served as Senior Vice President of Operations since 2019, overseeing Apple’s global supply chain, supplier responsibility programmes, and product delivery systems—making him the architect of key manufacturing strategies across the US and Asia.
- Khan’s technical and managerial foundations include dual bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Tufts University, and a master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Before joining Apple, he worked as an applications development engineer and key-account technical leader at GE Plastics.
Main Point :- (i) Apple CEO Tim Cook lauded Khan as a “brilliant strategist” and a central architect of Apple’s supply chain resilience, highlighting his leadership during the COVID‑19 pandemic and in advancing green manufacturing initiatives. The company sees his expertise as vital amid global trade uncertainties and evolving manufacturing shifts—such as Apple's move to increase iPhone production in India by next year.
(ii) As COO, Khan is expected to take charge of Apple’s global operations and logistics, reinforcing Apple’s supply chain stability during a turbulent trade period. The change comes at a pivotal moment: Jeff Williams, who had managed Apple’s operations since 2015 and directly oversaw the Apple Watch design and health initiatives, will continue in an advisory capacity until his retirement.
(iii) This appointment positions Khan as the second-highest executive at Apple and underscores the company’s deepening reliance on seasoned internal planning. His rise is also a powerful testament to Indian-origin leadership shaping global tech giants.
About Apple Inc.
CEO : Tim Cook
Headquarters: Cupertino, California, United States
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