30-year veteran to succeed Jeff Williams in key leadership role
Apple has named Sabih Khan as its new chief operating officer, marking a key leadership shift within the company’s senior executive team. The move comes as part of a long-anticipated succession plan and positions Khan, a 30-year veteran of the company, to take over from current COO Jeff Williams later this month.
Khan has been with Apple since 1995, most recently serving as senior vice president of operations. He originally joined the company’s procurement group after holding engineering and technical roles at GE Plastics, where he worked as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader. Apple praised Khan’s contributions to global supply chain management and product delivery during his tenure.
Williams to retain key responsibilities until year-end
Jeff Williams, who has held the COO role since 2015 and was widely considered a potential successor to CEO Tim Cook, will continue working closely with the executive team through the end of the year. He will maintain oversight of Apple Watch and the company’s industrial design team until his retirement.
Once Williams departs, the design team — a historically influential group within Apple — will report directly to Tim Cook. This marks a shift from the structure that was in place under former Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and reflects Apple’s evolving approach to integrating design with overall operations.
Succession highlights operational stability
Khan’s promotion signals a continued emphasis on operational excellence and supply chain resilience, both of which have been critical to Apple’s performance in recent years. Under Khan’s leadership, Apple has navigated complex manufacturing challenges and sustained product rollout schedules amid global supply disruptions.
Apple did not announce who will succeed Khan as head of operations, but the internal promotion underlines the company’s preference for long-tenured executives with deep institutional knowledge.
