After enjoying a storied career of more than 30 years, Phil Schiller will be stepping down from his role as Apple’s long-time senior vice president of worldwide marketing. Apple made the announcement on August 4, 2020.
However, it doesn’t seem like Apple’s marketing department is in for a dramatic change. Schiller will remain a visible face within the company as he will be transitioning into a new Apple Fellow role. There’s also the fact that his old position will be filled by Greg Joswiak, another long-time Apple marketing executive who worked under him.
Apple’s press release quotes Schiller as saying: “I first started at Apple when I was 27, this year I turned 60, and it is time for some planned changes in my life. I’ll keep working here as long as they will have me. I bleed six colours, but I also want to make some time in the years ahead for my family, friends, and a few personal projects I care deeply about.”
The press release also briefly talked about his new role as an Apple Fellow. It said Schiller would continue to “lead the App Store and Apple events” and offer “thought partnership and guidance.” It also mentioned that he would be reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook, who couldn’t say enough good things about Schiller and Joswiak’s new roles:
“Phil has helped make Apple the company it is today and his contributions are broad, vast, and run deep. In this new role, he will continue to provide the incredible thought partnership and guidance that have defined his decades at Apple,” said Cook. “Joz’s many years of leadership in the Product Marketing organization make him perfectly suited to this new role and will ensure a seamless transition at a moment when the team is engaged in such important and exciting work. I’m thrilled that the whole executive team will benefit from his collaboration, ideas, and energy.”
Phil Schiller’s ‘semi-retirement’ marks the third major shift in responsibilities among senior Apple executives in the last 18 months. Anglea Ahrendts was the first to step down from her role as senior vice president of retail, followed by John Ive, Apple’s long-time design lead, several months later.