Angela Ahrendts, the "transformative force" behind Apple Store designs, will leave her position at the tech company this spring.
Ahrendts will leave her role as Apple's senior vice president of retail in April 2019 to undertake "new personal and professional pursuits", the company announced on 5 February 2019.
She will be succeeded by Deirdre O'Brien ? an executive who has worked at Apple for 30 years.
During her five-year tenure, Ahrendts spearheaded a series of innovative changes to the tech giant's bricks-and-mortar retail spaces ? including sales assistants with handheld payment devices, turning shops into community hubs and adding planting.
Ahrendts oversaw creation of new Apple Stores
"The last five years have been the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling of my career," said Ahrendts in a statement. "Through the teams' collective efforts, retail has never been stronger or better positioned to make an even greater contribution for Apple." "She has been a positive, transformative force, both for Apple's stores and the communities they serve," added CEO Tim Cook.
Ahrendts' innovations included reimagining stores, such as the Chicago flagship, as community hubs
Ahrendts, 58, left her position as CEO of British fashion house Burberry to join the Silicon Valley company in 2014, where she was placed in charge of revamping its stores.
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