Longtime Apple public relations man Steve Dowling has been added to Apple’s executives page, indicating his “interim” position as head of public relations for the company has been made permanent.
The role has been open since Katie Cotton retired in 2014, but Steve Dowling has been serving as the interim head of public relations for several months now. His position was initially temporary as Apple searched for other high-profile external candidates, but it appears Apple could not find a suitable external candidate to fill the role.
Following Cotton’s departure from Apple, company CEO Tim Cook was reported to be searching for a “friendlier PR head, to put a “more approachable face,” on the Cupertino firm.
Apple’s Press Info page says about Dowling:
“Dowling is responsible for Apple’s worldwide media relations and communications strategy, leading the public relations team as well as employee communications and corporate events. He previously led Apple’s corporate public relations team for ten years.”
Dowling has been with Apple for twelve years, and most recently served as senior director of corporate public relations at the company. Prior to his time at Apple, Dowling was a broadcast journalist at CNBC, first as a writer and producer in the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau. He later established and served as bureau chief for CNBC’s Silicon Valley bureau.
A native of Massachusetts, Dowling holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota.
