Apple Names its Second Comms Leader in Less Than a Year

Apple's top communications executive, Stella Low, has left her post after less than a year on the job. Low, who joined the company from Cisco in May 2021, is said to be departing to spend more time with her family, according to a BuzzFeed report.

In her place, the tech titan has promoted its VP of Corporate Communications, Kristin Huguet Quayle, to serve as its new VP of Worldwide Communications.

Quayle is a longtime Apple executive and first joined the company in 2007 as the Director of Corporate PR. Before that, she spent six years as a Manager at Sun Microsystems and two years as a Project Specialist at Burson-Marsteller.

"Kristin has played an instrumental role sharing Apple's story of incredible innovation and strong values for more than 15 years," an Apple spokesperson told 9To5Mac. "With an extraordinary depth of experience and a long track record of principled leadership, Kristin is uniquely suited for her new role overseeing worldwide communications."

The transition comes as Apple is under increased scrutiny from global regulators over alleged anti-competitive behavior.

Currently, Apple is embroiled in disputes with Spotify and Epic Games over the chunk of revenue the tech company takes from in-app purchases and its unwillingness to allow developers to use third-party payment methods. These claims have led the European Commission to charge the company for breaching antitrust laws and a Dutch regulatory agency to fine Apple up to €50 million.

Quayle will have to hit the ground running, but her deep experience in Apple's communications department should provide for a smooth transition to the top role.