• Apple prepares for its next phase of climate and policy strategy as longtime sustainability chief Lisa Jackson retires in January 2026 after cutting companywide emissions by more than 60 percent.
• Environmental and social initiatives shift under new COO Sabih Khan, while incoming general counsel Jennifer Newstead assumes oversight of Apple’s expanding global policy agenda.
• The realignment consolidates legal and government affairs during a period of intensifying global scrutiny of supply chain emissions, digital policy, and environmental transparency.

A Leadership Transition With Global Climate Stakes

Cupertino. Apple is restructuring its environmental and governance leadership as Lisa Jackson, one of the most influential corporate sustainability executives of the past decade, prepares to retire in late January 2026. Her departure sets off an internal realignment that places Apple’s environmental and social programs under chief operating officer Sabih Khan and shifts government affairs to incoming general counsel Jennifer Newstead.

Jackson’s exit arrives at a moment when global regulators, investors, and supply chain partners expect clearer climate transition plans from technology companies. Apple’s decision to split her responsibilities reflects the increasing convergence of environmental strategy, geopolitical policy, and corporate governance that now shapes the technology sector.

Tim Cook praised Jackson’s tenure in unusually expansive terms, describing her as “a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world” and acknowledging her central role in cutting Apple’s emissions by more than 60 percent from 2015 levels. Jackson also helped transition 15 priority materials, including aluminum, rare earths, and lithium, to recycled or renewable sources.

Thirteen Years of Influence on Climate, Policy, and Equity

A chemical engineer and former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama, Jackson joined Apple in 2013. Her strategy blended supply chain decarbonization with political engagement, pushing manufacturers toward renewable energy procurement and advancing circular design across Apple’s hardware portfolio.

Apple reported that her materials initiatives helped avoid 6.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2024 alone. The company increasingly relied on her legislative experience to navigate cross-border climate rules and digital policy debates.

Her portfolio extended beyond emissions. Jackson drove the Racial and Equity Justice Initiative launched in 2020, which committed 100 million dollars to diverse entrepreneurs and programs addressing environmental burdens in low income communities. She described her approach as grounded in the belief that “reducing our environmental impact is not just good for the environment, but good for business, and that we can do well by doing good.”

New Governance Architecture for a New Regulatory Environment

The transition reshapes Apple’s internal structure at a time when global climate and data policy are tightening. Khan, promoted to COO in July, inherits oversight of environmental and social initiatives. His background includes decades of work in advanced manufacturing and supply chain transformation, starting with his early career at GE Plastics and continuing through his procurement leadership at Apple since 1995.

Cook highlighted Khan’s role in delivering low carbon manufacturing innovations when announcing his promotion. For investors watching how Apple adapts to emerging product circularity rules, energy reporting demands, and pressure on upstream emissions disclosure, Khan’s expanded remit will be closely watched.

Government affairs will shift initially to current general counsel Kate Adams until her retirement late next year, then formally transition to Newstead. Cook described Newstead as bringing “an extraordinary depth of experience” and emphasized her ability to lead both legal and government affairs as Apple faces rising regulatory challenges in multiple regions.

Newstead arrives with a resume spanning Meta, the U.S. Department of State, the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Justice, and the Supreme Court. Her background in international law, data privacy, and geopolitical policy gives Apple a high level of legal and diplomatic capability at a time when trade tensions, platform regulation, and climate reporting rules increasingly overlap.

Newstead said she has long admired Apple’s “strong commitment to its values, its customers, and to making the world a better place” and called it an honor to join an executive team that works “each and every day to do what is in the best interest of Apple’s users.”

Adams, reflecting on eight years as general counsel, noted that “our work has always been about standing up for the values that are the foundation of this great company” and added that she is confident Newstead will lead the combined legal and government affairs teams effectively.

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What Executives and Investors Should Watch

For investors, regulators, and corporate leaders, the transition signals how Apple intends to navigate a new decade of climate and governance expectations. Environmental strategy moves deeper into operations. Government affairs integrates with legal at a time when environmental regulation, supply chain policies, and digital governance increasingly intersect. Apple retains continuity at the top, but distributes responsibility across executives better positioned to manage region-specific regulatory pressure and operational emissions reductions.

Jackson’s departure marks the end of a formative era in corporate tech sustainability, but her influence continues through the systems she helped build. “I have every confidence that Apple will continue to have a profoundly positive impact on the planet and its people,” she said.

As climate disclosure rules tighten across the U.S., EU, and Asia, and as tech supply chains face heightened scrutiny, Apple’s restructured leadership will play a defining role in how one of the world’s most valuable companies adapts to global ESG expectations.

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