Head of diversity leaves Apple; Apple Music artistic leader is promoted

Recently, the chair dance at Apple involved a layoff and a promotion.

In Cupertino, the then head of diversity, Christie Smith, recently left the company; already in the UK, the former head of artistic relations for Apple Music, Ryan Newman, was promoted to editorial head of the service, as we will see in more detail below.

Christie Smith

According to a report by Bloomberg, Smith’s departure from Apple had been planned for about two months now; the executive left the position of head of diversity definitely yesterday (7/16).

Christie Smith

Many details about the change were not released; in a statement, Apple said only that Smith left the company to “spend more time with his family”.

Inclusion and diversity are Apple’s core values ​​and we deeply believe that the most diverse teams are the most innovative. Christie Smith will leave Apple to spend more time with her family and we wish her well. Our Inclusion and Diversity team continues to report directly to Deirdre O’Brien on the executive team.

Unlike her predecessor, Denise Young Smith (who responded directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook), the former executive worked directly with the company’s head of retail and people, Deirdre O’Brien.

She joined Apple in 2017 after her predecessor – who was a longtime executive at Apple but spent a few months leading the diversity team – stepped down.

Apple maintains an inclusion and diversity page with frequent updates on its efforts to diversify its workforce, pay equity and work with underserved communities around the world. Although the executive has already stepped down, Apple has not yet confirmed who will replace her.

Ryan Newman

Apple Music promoted current head of artistic relations Ryan Newman to the position of editorial director for the service in the UK and Ireland. The information is Billboard.

Ryan Newman

The executive will fill the position held by Austin Daboh, current Apple Music editorial director, who will leave the company to join the Atlantic Records label team. Newman’s new position was announced by Daboh, who celebrated the nomination.

Also – HUGE congratulations to Ryan Newman, who was named Apple Music Editorial Head! Another black brother took a leadership position in a global company. ??

After spending 11 years as an editor at BBC Radio 1, Newman joined Apple Music in 2018 as a manager before moving on to the position of head of artistic relations. As chief editor, he will oversee the service’s playlists ecosystem and various marketing initiatives.

via CNET, 9to5Mac