Sabih Khan, of Indian-origin, has been appointed Apple new Chief Operating Officer.
Recently, Apple made a significant leadership shift where it has placed an executive of Indian origin, Sabih Khan, as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO). The handover will be done later this month where Khan will replace Jeff Williams who has decided to retire after serving Apple close to three decades. This switch is a major milestone ever seen by Apple, one of the greatest technology enterprises globally and also the producer of advanced products such as iPhone, MacBook, and Apple watch.
Sabih Khan was born during the year 1966 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. When he was 10 years the family migrated to Singapore, where he schooled. Afterward, he moved to the US where he studied further. Khan grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and graduated with two bachelor degrees, one in economics and the other mechanical engineering, in Tufts University through which he received his associate degree and one master degree in mechanical engineering in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was an application development engineer and technical leader as a GE Plastics employee before his appointment to Apple in 1995, receiving plenty of experience in operations and product development.
Khan has played an essential role at the Apple Company in the development of its global supply chain. He has worked as the Senior Vice President of Operations since 2019 and headed such functions as planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and product fulfillment. His management has assisted in efficient distribution of innovative products of Apple to customers across the globe. Khan has also played a critical role in enhancing the sustainability of Apple and this has enabled the company to achieve a carbon footprint reduction of more than 60%. His role in accelerating the manufacturing base of Apple in the United States coupled with the introduction of new technology in the field of advanced manufacturing has made America gain more in the activities of Apple.
Apple CEO Tim Cook hailed the contributions made by Khan stating that the latter is a brilliant strategist and that he is a key architect of Apple supply chain. Cook emphasized the fact that Khan would be able to lead by heart and values, and he is confident that he will do great as COO. The retiring COO, Jeff Williams also gave out his strong views supporting Khan terming him as one of the greatest operations executives. Williams, the 27-year employee of Apple, is now engaged in leading the design team of the company which will be directly reporting to Cook.
The appointment of Khan puts him on an expanding roll of Indian origin top level leaders to making their mark in the technology world that include names of Sundar Pichai of Google and Satya Nadella of Microsoft. The fact that he was able to get to the top position at Apple in Moradabad signifies his commitment, skills, and capability of operating globally with complexities. Considering Khan has been named as the new COO, he should be the lynchpin in terms of what happens at Apple next phase, be an innovator, and be the catalyst in terms of the reputation Apple has as a premier corporation.
Such leadership change is achieved in a period where Apple is at the forefront of disrupting technology with a current trend of artificial intelligence, health technology, and sustainability. With his global experience with technology and shrewd vision, Khan will most probably lead Apple to its next stage of development and thus continue to be the market leader in the international technological arena. His life is one of the inspiring stories of how talent and hard work can bring one to being a phenomenal success on the global map.
