Apple has announced that Lisa Jackson, its long-serving head of environmental strategy, will retire in late January 2026 after 13 years with the company. Jackson, who currently serves as vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives, will not be directly replaced. Instead, her portfolio will be divided between two senior executives.
Jennifer Newstead, set to join Apple as general counsel in March after holding the same position at Meta, will assume Jackson’s policy responsibilities. Apple’s environmental and social initiatives will shift to the oversight of the company’s incoming chief operating officer, Sabih Khan, who has played a central role in Apple’s manufacturing-related decarbonisation and circular design efforts. Both will report directly to CEO Tim Cook, as Jackson has during her tenure.
Jackson, a chemical engineer and former head of the US Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama, joined Apple in 2013. During her leadership, the company cut its emissions by more than 60% through major investments in renewable energy across its supply chain and a transition to recycled or renewable sources for 15 priority materials, including aluminium, rare earth elements and lithium.
Cook, in a statement, described Jackson as “a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world, advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics, as well as advancing our values, from education and accessibility to privacy and security.”
Jackson also led initiatives such as Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, launched in 2020, which committed $100 million to support diverse entrepreneurs and reduce pollution in low-income communities.
Reflecting on her tenure, Jackson said: “I have been lucky to work with leaders who understand that reducing our environmental impact is not just good for the environment, but good for business, and that we can do well by doing good. I have every confidence that Apple will continue to have a profoundly positive impact on the planet and its people.”
The transition marks a moment of strategic continuity rather than departure. Khan, Apple’s new COO, has already been closely involved in delivering several of Jackson’s supply-chain programmes, including material-replacement efforts credited with avoiding 6.2 million metric tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions in 2024. Cook highlighted Khan’s work on advanced manufacturing technologies when announcing his promotion in July.
Khan joined Apple in 1995 after beginning his career as an engineer at GE Plastics.
