In a rare move for an Apple executive, new retail head Deirdre O'Brien has joined Instagram, inaugurating her account with a handful of photos from a worldwide business tour.
O'Brien is on the service as @deirdre.at.apple. Two photos were shot in Hong Kong, including Apple IFC Mall, while a third was shot at Apple Cotai Central in Macau.
View this post on InstagramI love the bamboo grove in Apple Cotai Central. Such a unique and beautiful store with a great team!
A post shared by Deirdre O'Brien (@deirdre.at.apple) on
Any reason for the focus on Chinese territories is unknown. O'Brien is visiting many other retail teams in cities such as Austin, Cupertino, and Paris.
That would make sense, since predecessor Angela Ahrendts took a similar tour after joining Apple in 2014. Presumably O'Brien's goal is to not only familiarize herself with locations but endear herself to the retail workforce.
Apple executives normally limit their social media activity to Twitter. There are exceptions, particularly with CEO Tim Cook, who periodically posts on China's Weibo -- likely with the help of Mandarin-speaking assistants.
O'Brien was appointed senior VP of "Retail + People" in February, combining her previous role with a new one.