Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 09:20 am

Apple appoints Ronald D. Sugar to its board of directors

By AppleInsider Staff

Apple on Wednesday announced that Dr. Ronald D. Sugar, former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Northrop Grumman Corporation, was appointed to the company's board of directors.

Sugar will serve as the Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee for Apple. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Northrop Grumman Corporation from 2003 until his retirement in 2010. Previous to Northrop, he held executive positions at Litton Industries and TRW Inc., where he served as chief financial officer.

"Ron is an engineer at heart, who then became a very successful business leader. We are very excited to welcome him to Apple’s Board," said Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs. "In addition to having been the CEO of a high-tech Fortune 100 company, Ron has a Ph.D. in engineering and has been involved in the development of some very sophisticated technology."

Sugar is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is also a director of Chevron Corporation, Amgen Inc. and Air Lease Corporation, and serves as a senior advisor to the private investment firm Ares Management LLC.

"I have always had enormous admiration for the people of Apple," Sugar said. "It is a special privilege to serve on the board of such an amazing company."

Sugar is a trustee of the University of Southern California, where he also holds the Judge Widney Chair as Professor of Management and Technology. He is a member of the boards of UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and several other philanthropic organizations focused on children and education.

He graduated summa cum laude in engineering in 1968 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also received master’s and doctorate degrees in the same field. He subsequently completed executive programs at Stanford, Wharton and Harvard.