Outlook Business Desk
Apple has appointed Sabih Khan as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). He will succeed Jeff Williams later this month, while Williams is expected to retire by the end of 2025. The company called it a ‘long-planned succession’ in its July 8 statement, marking a key leadership transition.
Born in 1966 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, Sabih Khan spent his early school years in India before his family moved to Singapore. They later relocated to the United States, where he pursued his higher education and started his career.
“Apple today announced Jeff Williams will transition his role as chief operating officer later this month to Sabih Khan, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations, as part of a long-planned succession,” the company disclosed.
According to Apple’s website, Khan holds a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and mechanical engineering from Tufts University and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York.
Sabih Khan, 58, has spent three decades at Apple. As Senior VP of Operations, he leads the company’s global supply chain, supplier responsibility initiatives and core operations teams.
Khan joined Apple’s procurement team in 1995 after working at GE Plastics as an applications development engineer. According to Apple’s website, he has played a key role in bringing some of Apple’s most innovative products to market and shaping its global operations strategy.
On 27 June 2019, Khan was appointed Senior Vice President of Operations, reporting to Jeff Williams. In this role, his department has led efforts to partner with green manufacturing suppliers and adapt supplier operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomed Sabih Khan’s appointment by calling him a driving force behind the company’s global supply chain. He credited Khan with pushing innovation in manufacturing, expanding operations in the US, and playing a pivotal role in cutting Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60 per cent.
“Sabih is a brilliant strategist who has been one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain. While overseeing Apple’s supply chain, he has helped pioneer new technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple’s manufacturing footprint in the United States, and helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges,” Cook said.