Tim Cook has been a director since 2011 and serves as the executive chair of the board. He joined Apple in 1998 and served as the company’s CEO from 2011 to 2026. Apple was named the World’s Most Admired Company by Fortune during every year of Tim’s CEO tenure.
As CEO, Tim oversaw the introduction of numerous products and services, including new categories like Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro, and services ranging from iCloud and Apple Pay to Apple TV and Apple Music. He was also instrumental in expanding existing product lines. Under Tim’s leadership, Apple expanded its global footprint substantially, particularly in emerging markets, growing to more than 200 countries and territories with an active installed base of more than 2.5 billion devices.
Apple Services was a major focus area of Tim’s, and during his tenure, the category grew to become a more than $100 billion business, the equivalent of a Fortune 40 company. Tim was also instrumental in creating the wearables category at Apple, which includes the world’s most popular watch and headphones, and which has served as the foundation for Apple’s remarkable impact on the health and safety of its users. Under his leadership, Apple transitioned to Apple-designed silicon, enabling the company to own more of its primary technology and deliver industry-leading gains in power efficiency and performance that directly benefit users across its products.
Tim made Apple’s core values even more central to the company’s decision-making and product development. Under his leadership, the company reduced its carbon footprint by more than 60 percent below 2015 levels during a period in which revenue nearly doubled. Tim, who has long advocated for privacy as a fundamental human right, made privacy and security imperative at Apple, setting a standard for user protection that continues to set the company apart from the rest of the technology industry. He has also pushed for continued innovation in the accessibility space, believing that Apple products should be made for everyone. And he made central to his leadership the notion that Apple should be a place where everyone can feel they belong and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Before being named CEO in August 2011, Tim was Apple’s chief operating officer and was responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries.
Tim serves on the board of directors of Nike, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, the board of trustees of Duke University, and the leadership council for the Malala Fund, an international nonprofit organization that advocates for girls’ education.
Tim earned an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.