Technology giant Apple has announced the departure of Head of Retail John Browett just six months into his role as it looks to shake up its senior management structure.
Browett joined the world‘s most valuable company earlier this year after more than four years as Group CEO of electrical retailer Dixons and his shock exit follows speculation over his move to cut staffing levels.
When Browett initially joined the Board, he was praised for his strong dedication to customer service and so the reported backlash against his staffing strategy is something of an embarrassment for Apple.
While the retailer would not go into detail about the reasons for Browett‘s departure, a statement from the company said: “John Browett is leaving Apple. A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook.
“Apple‘s Retail organization has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level who will continue the excellent work that has been done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services for customers.”
Scott Forstall, Head of iOS software at the business, will leave his position next year and serve as an adviser to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.
Forstall led the development of software used in the much-anticipated iPhone 5, which caused controversy upon its launch last month due to inaccurate mapping software that placed towns and cities in the wrong location, forcing Cook to apologise for its shortcomings.
Apple said that its management changes will encourage further collaboration between hardware, software and services teams.
Cook added: “We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple‘s history.
“The amazing products that we‘ve introduced in September and October could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.”
