May 7, 2014: Katie Cotton, the fearsome, much-admired head of Apple’s worldwide publicity machine, steps down from her VP post after 18 years with the company.
During her stint at Apple, Cotton worked in lockstep with Steve Jobs and proved instrumental in controlling the company’s portrayal in the press. Her departure provides one more reminder that the Jobs era is over at Apple.
Stella Low is stepping into a position at Apple that’s been empty for years. She’s been named vice president of worldwide corporate communications. That puts her in charge of Apple’s public relations efforts.
She left Cisco to take the job with Apple.
Apple’s VP of communications is stepping away from the company after leading Apple’s public relations efforts for the last five years.
Steve Dowling, who worked at Apple for 16 years, sent out a memo to staff saying that now is the time for him to step away from the company. The news comes right after Apple’s biggest PR week of the year, the fall iPhone keynote, but Dowling’s note to employees is full of optimism for the iPhone-maker.
Just as Cupertino is scaling back its automotive ambitions, key members of the Apple PR team have left the company for car manufacturers.
Apple has looked within its own ranks to find who will lead its “friendlier” PR approach, at least for now. Despite looking at outside candidates like former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, the company has settled on one of its own veterans as interim PR boss.
