Deirdre O'Brien, vice president of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, was recently appointed the company's vice president of people.

"I love Apple and, like so many of my colleagues, I’m honored to have made it my life’s work," O'Brien said. "I’m excited to begin this new chapter, supporting 120,000 incredibly talented people around the world who are motivated to do amazing things every day. It is a privilege to work among such a diverse and talented team, and to help them thrive here at Apple."

O'Brien has worked for Apple for almost three decades. In her new role, she will lead all HR functions and oversee 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," Apple CEO Tim Cook said. "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."