Katie Cotton, VP of worldwide corporate communications at Apple, is retiring. In nearly two decades at Apple’s PR helm, she served under company co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook.
Cotton served as gatekeeper to company co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook, and guided the media narrative around pretty much everything from the iMac to the iPad. She’s long been among the company’s most powerful executives and played a key role in shaping the mystique and exclusivity surrounding the Apple brand.
“Katie has given her all to this company for over 18 years,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said in a statement. “She has wanted to spend time with her children for some time now. We are really going to miss her.”
Cotton told Re/code that her decision to leave Apple was among the most difficult of her career. “This is hard for me,” she said. “Apple is a part of my heart.”
