Apple selects Steve Dowling as interim head of public relations
Apple has seemingly found a replacement to head its public relations efforts. According to Re/Code, Apple veteran Steve Dowling has been named as the interim head of the public relations team.
He replaces Katie Cotton, who retired as vice president of worldwide corporate communications earlier this year.
The site said Apple CEO Tim Cook will still continue to look for outside candidates to bring a “friendlier, more approachable” face to the position. But Dowling’s “interim” tag means he has a very strong shot to be given the job on a permanent basis.
Dowling along with another internal candidate – Nat Kerris – were both rumored to possibly land the top spot. Dowling’s appointment may cause other changes in the department, according to story:
Given that, there’s a new question that’s top of mind for Apple watchers: What will Nat Kerris — who has headed up Apple product PR for years — do now? She’s been at Apple for more than a decade and under Steve Jobs and Katie Cotton, and managed the launches of some of its most iconic products. Being passed over for the top comms job can’t be sitting well.
Earlier this summer, Apple was reportedly talking with former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney about the position. But those talks fizzled.
It will be interesting to see if Dowling does eventually get the “interim” tag removed. While Apple has made some great hires from outside the company recently, like Angela Ahrendts, Dowling looks to be a safe and reliable choice.
For other news today, see: Apple’s ‘A9′ processor will be produced by Samsung, not TSMC, New iPhones are a big hit in China as preorders top 2 million units after just 6 hours, and Apple’s CarPlay now available through Pioneer’s in-dash multimedia receivers.
