Deirdre O'brien

Senior Vice President of Retail & People, Apple

Search every verified Deirdre O'brien interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail & People, has been involved in the openings of several new Apple Stores in 2024 and 2025, including locations in Miami, Florida; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Tysons Corner, Virginia. In interviews, O’Brien said that Apple’s store design emphasizes natural and sustainable materials, such as recycled timber and local flora, to create what she described as a “biophilic” environment that connects to the local community. She also highlighted the role of store teams, stating that “the number one thing that our customers are going to experience when they come to Apple ... is our incredible teams,” and noted that the Today at Apple program allows customers to learn about products and explore creativity. O’Brien has also discussed Apple’s environmental goals, stating that the company is “fully carbon neutral” through its operations and aims to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030. During product events in 2020 and 2022, she introduced features such as Crash Detection on Apple Watch Series 8 and the Family Setup feature, and commented on the role of Apple products during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was “gratifying to see the important role our products have played in helping people come together.” O’Brien, who joined Apple over 30 years ago, said she feels “grateful and privileged to be a part of this incredible company where we truly live our values every day.”