Apple board appoints Andrea Jung as co-lead director
updated 04:45 pm EST, Wed February 24, 2010
Reaction to complaints of Jobs influence?
Apple has quietly made Andrea Jung, the CEO of Avon, a co-lead on its board of directors, says Bloomberg. A regular member of the board since January 2008, Jung's shift to a lead position occurred without fanfare last December. Thursday will mark her first shareholders' meeting with the new title; she is replacing Bill Campbell, a veteran of the board and a mentor to CEO Steve Jobs. Campbell will continue to serve on the board in a lesser capacity.
Some parties have accused the Apple board of being under the hand-picked influence of Jobs, which may in the past of have made biased decisions as a result. The board let slip little and potentially misleading information about Jobs' medical problems in early 2009, for example, even keeping quiet a liver transplant which may have raised legitimate worries amongst investors. Jung's appointment could be a means of calming outside complaints.
The executive has refused to comment on her appointment, and Apple has declined to say why Campbell would accept a drop in rank. Her partner at the head of the board is Arthur Levinson, formerly the CEO of Genentech.
Steve Jobs is expected to attend tomorrow's shareholders' meeting, as he has every year since 1997, with the exception of 2009 when he was on medical leave.
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