Who is Sabih Khan, Apple’s new India-born chief operating officer?

Apple on Tuesday announced that Sabih Khan, an India-born veteran of the company, will take over as its new chief operating officer (COO) later this month, succeeding Jeff Williams as part of a long-planned leadership transition.

Khan, who was born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, in 1966 and later moved to Singapore before relocating to the US, has been at Apple for nearly three decades. He currently serves as senior vice president of Operations and joined Apple’s executive team in 2019.

What Tim Cook said about Sabih Khan

Apple CEO Tim Cook described Khan as “a brilliant strategist” and “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.

The Apple CEO added that Khan has helped reduce the company’s carbon footprint by over 60% through sustainability initiatives with suppliers.

Khan will succeed Williams, who has been with Apple for 27 years and plans to retire later this year. Williams will continue to report to Cook and oversee Apple’s design team and health initiatives until his retirement.

“Sabih leads with his heart and his values, and I know he will make an exceptional chief operating officer,” Cook said.

Khan’s career journey at Apple

Khan joined Apple in 1995 after working as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader at GE Plastics. He holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and mechanical engineering from Tufts University and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

At Apple, Khan has led its global supply chain for the past six years, overseeing planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, product fulfilment, and supplier responsibility programs that focus on worker rights and environmental impact at production facilities worldwide.

Apple said Khan’s leadership has ensured product quality and supply chain resilience amid global challenges, while his efforts in supplier responsibility have raised labour standards and delivered education programmes for workers across the company’s manufacturing network.