Cupertino: Apple Inc. has named Indian-American Sabih Khan as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), succeeding Jeff Williams later this month. Khan, currently Apple’s Vice-President, has been with the tech giant for over 30 years, playing a pivotal role in shaping the company’s global supply chain and manufacturing operations.
Tim Cook hails Khan as a visionary leader
Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Khan, calling him “a brilliant strategist and one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain.” Cook added, “Sabih leads with heart and values, and I know he will make an exceptional chief operating officer. He helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges.”
Jeff Williams, the outgoing COO, will continue to manage Apple’s design team and the Apple Watch division until his retirement later this year.
Early life and education
Sabih Khan was born in 1966 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. At age 10, he moved to Singapore, where he later enrolled at Tufts University, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics and mechanical engineering. He then completed a master’s in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Khan began his professional career at GE Plastics (now SABIC), working as an application development and key account technical leader, before joining Apple in 1995.
Career at Apple
During his three-decade tenure at Apple, Khan has overseen planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and product fulfilment operations. He has also managed product quality and spearheaded Apple’s supplier responsibility initiatives, safeguarding and training employees at manufacturing facilities worldwide.
In 2019, he became Senior Vice President of Operations, forming alliances with suppliers for green manufacturing initiatives and contributing significantly to environmental conservation. Khan has been credited by Tim Cook for reducing Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60% through new technologies and advanced manufacturing processes, including expanding Apple’s production capabilities in the United States.
Green initiatives and manufacturing innovation
Khan’s leadership has focused on sustainability and innovation. He introduced cutting-edge methods that improved efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and strengthened supplier responsibility programs, making Apple a global leader in ethical and green manufacturing practices.
Conclusion
With his extensive experience in supply chain management, operational strategy, and sustainability initiatives, Sabih Khan’s appointment as COO is expected to further reinforce Apple’s position as a global technology and manufacturing leader.