Apple Sales Executive Resigns to Head US Defense Innovation Unit

There has been a wave of key departures at Apple Inc. ahead of the end of the year, as sales executive Doug Beck is leaving the iPhone maker for a senior position at the US Department of Defense.

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Beck will be overseeing the Defense Innovation Unit, a unit within the Defense Department that promotes the use of commercial technology within the military. His responsibilities will also include advising Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on technology strategy, the department announced in a statement on Tuesday.

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The departure of Beck marks yet another departure of a senior executive for Apple. Over the last few months, the company has lost executives responsible for a wide range of activities, including industrial design, hardware and software engineering, procurement, sales in emerging markets, subscription and cloud-based services, online retail, and information systems.

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"We support Doug's commitment to public service and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors," Apple said in a statement. It has been confirmed by the Defense Department that the position is full-time. 

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As one of only a few executives who report directly to Tim Cook, Apple CEO, Beck is one of the rare executives to have a direct line to him. His responsibilities included managing sales to governments, health institutions, and schools, as well as serving as one of two chief sales officers for the Cupertino-based company. In addition to that, Mike Fenger is responsible for the global sales of the company's products and enterprise services. It was reported last month by Trade Algo that Fenger had recently reorganized Apple's international sales teams in order to put a greater emphasis on India.

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Previously, Beck was responsible for sales in the Americas and parts of Asia before he took on this most recent role at Apple. Throughout his life, he has maintained a strong connection to the US military and government, serving as a captain in the Reserves of the US Navy and working with the Defense Innovation Unit between 2015 and 2019. Having joined Apple in 2009, he has been there ever since.