Roger Fingas
Apple's human resources leader — Denise Young Smith — has taken up a new role within the company as its VP for Inclusion and Diversity, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The profile still lists her as in charge of HR as well, and in fact the new title isn't reflected on Apple's executive bios page. Apple is likely to correct the information in the near future.
The company has never before had a VP at the helm of its Inclusion and Diversity efforts. Smith however has a strong interest in the area, according to 9to5Mac sources, who added that while the company is looking for a new HR head, CFO Luca Maestri will temporarily step in. Smith is expected to report directly to CEO Tim Cook.
Apple has only publicly disclosed diversity data since 2014, responding to pressure from rights groups. The company's most recent data — from June 2016 — found that it was 68 percent male and 32 percent female, but in the U.S., still predominantly white.
This is epecially true at the company's highest levels, since Smith is the only non-white senior executive. There are two non-white people on the board of directors, James Bell and Andrea Jung.
Out of 26 people across Apple's top levels, only five are women.
Apple has increasingly tried to be multiracial not just internally but in its marketing. More dark-skinned people now appear in product photos as well as the company's video ads.
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
110 Comments
But if you combine VP with HR you get VR. She must be leading the new VR division... confirmed!
Also, "diversity" is just pandering. Hire people based on their skills and the absurd focus on skin color and other collectivist talking points becomes irrelevant.
"Inclusion and Diversity efforts" - this PC crap is what will bring down Apple - not competition from Samsung, Google or Microsoft
Who here remembers Jesse Jackson and his organization attacking large corporations in the media in order to win settlements and have his own friends installed as "hall monitors" at companies? Diversity is simply corporate blackmailing by another name, no different from the unions that used to call strikes on companies to force them to give in to absurd demands.
The fact that this thread has a high probability of being locked is proof of why society needs pro-diversity leaders. Intentionally increasing diversity at successful, well-paying companies means those employees' families and children have a better chance to succeed too. It makes the future better, and that's well worth confusing or antagonizing a few backwards people who think affirmative action is unfair because racism was officially supposed to be over at some time in the past.