Apple’s Chief People Officer, Carol Surface, leaves the company after a brief tenure of less than two years. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman employees were notified on Wednesday, though an official announcement has yet to be made.
Surface’s role and responsibilities
Appointed in early 2023, Surface took over the newly created Chief People Officer position at Apple, overseeing human resources, diversity and inclusion, and recruitment efforts for the company’s 160,000 employees. She succeeded Deirdre O’Brien, who had been handling both human resources and retail divisions. With Surface’s departure, O’Brien will resume her previous role.
Broader leadership changes at Apple
Surface’s departure is part of a larger shift in Apple’s leadership. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri is stepping down from his current role, although he will remain at Apple in a more limited capacity. Longtime engineering leader Dan Riccio, who played a key role in the development of the Vision Pro, is retiring, and procurement head Dan Rosckes, along with App Store head Matt Fischer, are also exiting the company.
HR leadership transitions
Apple’s HR department has seen additional changes recently, including the departure of its previous head of diversity and inclusion earlier this year. Cynthia Bowman, formerly of Bank of America, has since taken over this role.
