Apple's PR Guru Katie Cotton Is Retiring

Katie Cotton, Apple’s vice president of worldwide corporate communications, is retiring. Cotton, who served Apple CEOs Steve Jobs and Tim Cook for nearly two decades, helped guide the media narrative “around pretty much everything from the iMac to the iPad,” according to Re/Code. In a statement, Apple said:

Katie has given her all to this company for over 18 years. She has wanted to spend time with her children for some time now. We are really going to miss her.

Reached by Re/Code, Cotton said “This is hard for me. Apple is a part of my heart.” Prior to Jobs' death in 2011, Cotton was considered the CEO's "right-hand woman" and "gatekeeper." As such, she was the one to seek for information about Jobs, including interviews, health queries, etc. Cotton ranked No. 50 on Fortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women list in 2011. She was also included in PR Week's Power List in 2010, 2011, and 2012. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona. The Verge says that Cotton's likely replacements include Steve Dowling and Natalie Kerris, "both of who have been with Apple for over a decade and throughout its ascent to a leading tech company."

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