Apple is preparing to experience a new upheaval of its management team with the departure of Carol Surface, its Chief People Officer (CPO), as reported Bloomberg. Ms. Surface joined Apple in March 2023, making her tenure relatively short for such a senior leadership position at the company, where most stay for years or even decades.
Have a good trip Carol
Ms. Surface was Apple’s first-ever chief people officer, a position created specifically for her when she was hired. She reported directly to Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, and assumed responsibilities previously handled by Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and human resources. When Ms. Surface arrived, Apple separated HR functions from Ms. O’Brien, allowing the latter to focus solely on retail.
In this role, Ms. Surface was responsible for overseeing talent development, Apple University, recruiting, employee relations and experience, benefits, compensation, and inclusion and diversity. Following her departure, Ms. O’Brien, who has 30 years of experience at Apple, will take over responsibility for retail and human resources functions, as she did before.
Before joining Apple, Ms. Surface had a distinguished career, as director of human resources at Medtronic for ten years. She also held similar leadership roles at Best Buy And PepsiCo. The reason for Ms. Surface’s departure from Apple is not yet clear.