Deirdre O'Brien named as Apple's new 'Vice President of People' overseeing HR

Apple today announced that Deirdre O'Brien, vice president of Worldwide Sales and Operations, has been named the head of human resources — a title the company is calling the "Vice President of People."

O'Brien has been at Apple for nearly 30 years. She will head up all human resources departments, including talent development, recruiting, benefits, compensation and business support, as well as overseeing Apple University.

"As long as I've been at Apple, Deirdre has been the glue that bonds our operations, sales, marketing and finance teams to deliver products to our customers," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Deirdre deeply understands Apple's unique culture and that people join Apple to do the best work of their lives. She is a superb leader and I'm thrilled she will be bringing her experience and talent to this critical role."

O'Brien earned a bachelor's degree in Operations Management from Michigan State University and an MBA from San Jose State University. She will assume her new role this fall.