Apple has announced the appointment of Jennifer Newstead as its new General Counsel. She will join the company in January 2026 as Senior Vice President, reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook and serving as a member of Apple’s executive team. Following a transition period with current GC Kate Adams, Newstead will formally assume the role on March 1, 2026.

Apple also confirmed that Lisa Jackson, Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, will retire in January late, 2026. Oversight of the company’s government and public affairs functions will initially remain with Kate Adams. After Adams’s retirement in late 2026, Newstead will take over leadership of these teams, at which point her role will expand to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Government Affairs.

Newstead currently serves as Chief Legal Officer of Meta. Prior to joining Meta, she was the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State and spent 12 years as a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell. Earlier in her career, she served as General Counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy, and Associate White House Counsel.