14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has named a new Senior Vice President of Operations who is tasked with ensuring that products meet “the highest standards of quality,”. Jeff Williams, who came from IBM to Apple over a decade ago, has been promoted to join the executive team, reporting to Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook. Williams' total stake in Apple from employee compensation is worth nearly $27.4 million.
Before being named Vice President of Operations in 2004, Williams was Apple's head of worldwide procurement, where he was responsible with helping to manage the company's supply chain. Williams helped secure components for Apple’s iPods, and played a significant role in the company's entry into the mobile phone market - the launch of the iPhone, according to Apple. Apple’s Bios web site describes Jeff Williams as follows:
Jeff Williams
Senior Vice President of Operations Apple
Jeff Williams is Apple's senior vice president of Operations, reporting to COO Tim Cook. Jeff leads a team of people around the world responsible for end-to-end supply chain management and dedicated to ensuring that Apple products meet the highest standards of quality.
Jeff joined Apple in 1998 as head of worldwide procurement and in 2004 he was named vice president of Operations. In 2007, Jeff played a significant role in Apple's entry into the mobile phone market with the launch of the iPhone, and he has led worldwide operations for iPod and iPhone since that time.
Prior to Apple, Jeff worked for the IBM Corporation from 1985 to 1998 in a number of operations and engineering roles. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke University.
A picture of Williams is available above, courtesy of Apple. According to one report, it is believed Apple is preparing Williams to replace Tim Cook as chief operating officer, should Cook take over Steve Jobs' role as the company's chief executive officer. Early rumors position Apple’s current COO as the most likely candidate for the CEO position.