Apple appoints Isabel Ge Mahe as managing director of Greater China

Posted:
in General Discussion edited July 2017
Apple on Tuesday named vice president of wireless technologies Isabel Ge Mahe as managing director of Greater China, where she will report to CEO Tim Cook and COO Jeff Williams.




Under the newly created role, Mahe will lead and coordinate Apple's team in China, the company said in a prepared statement.

"Apple is strongly committed to invest and grow in China, and we are thrilled that Isabel will be bringing her experience and leadership to our China team," Cook said. "She has dedicated a great deal of her time in recent years to delivering innovation for the benefit of Apple customers in China, and we look forward to making even greater contributions under her leadership."

In her previous position, Mahe worked on various wireless technologies including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near-field communication, location and motion, as well as overseeing engineering teams developing Apple Pay, HomeKit and CarPlay. She served as VP of wireless technologies for nine years.

Mahe was born in Shenyang, Liaoning, and is fluent in Mandarin. She earned both Bachelor and Master of Electrical Engineering degrees from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, where she also serves as an industry advisor to the school's EE/CS department.

"I'm honored to have this opportunity to represent Apple in China and work more closely with our incredibly talented team," Mahe said. "Everyone at Apple is proud of the contributions we make to the communities where we do business, and I am looking forward to deepening our team's connections with customers, government and businesses in China to advance innovation and sustainability."

Mahe is a veteran of the wireless industry, according to her LinkedIn profile. She served as VP of wireless software engineering at Palm from 2002 to 2008, during which time she became an advisor at the Silicon Valley-China Wireless Technology Association, a position she continues to hold.

She will take over Greater China operations at Apple's Shanghai office later this summer, Apple said.

Apple's new appointment comes at a critical juncture as it seeks to plant deep roots in one of the world's largest burgeoning economies. The company's important iPhone business has seen recent declines in the region thanks to low-end domestic handsets running Android, though it continues to dominate the high-end handset segment.

Most recently, Apple opened its first data center in China in compliance with the country's strict cybersecurity laws. The newly ratified rules require foreign firms store sensitive data on domestic servers, and must likewise pass security reviews before transferring said data out of the country.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    Is this a new thing for Apple to do press releases for non executive level positions? 
  • Reply 2 of 10
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    Is this a new thing for Apple to do press releases for non executive level positions? 
    One of the things investors are complaining about is Apple's lack of proper investor relations; so maybe that's part of it.

    Communicating your strategic intent through communication is important for Apple to be properly valued as a company.
    watto_cobratzm41
  • Reply 3 of 10
    tshapitshapi Posts: 369member
    I doubt that.... probably has more to do with China. Since China is sensitive for them. They probably want to see how China receives her appointment or promotion. 
    anantksundaram
  • Reply 4 of 10
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    tshapi said:
    I doubt that.... probably has more to do with China. Since China is sensitive for them. They probably want to see how China receives her appointment or promotion. 
    You doubt that investor relation is more important now than before?

    Of course, there is a local PR reason that's also there but it is not only that.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Looking at her career she's more than competent both technically and as a manager  but given it's china I wonder if she's related to anyone important.
    watto_cobraSpamSandwich
  • Reply 6 of 10
    nht said:
    Looking at her career she's more than competent both technically and as a manager  but given it's china I wonder if she's related to anyone important.
    Is that very different from what goes on here?
    tzm41Rayz2016
  • Reply 7 of 10
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    nht said:
    Looking at her career she's more than competent both technically and as a manager  but given it's china I wonder if she's related to anyone important.
    Is that very different from what goes on here?
    Yes.  They don't arrest you here if you're on the losing end of a political power struggle and we are less corrupt.

    That we have elites and they enjoy enormous advantages is a false equivalence to the amount of personal power the family of a politburo member has.  

    While Trump may like to arrest Clinton he can't. Xi Jin Ping has destroyed rivals like Bo XinLai (who deserved it but so do most of them).

    This is how the game is played in China.

    "In March 2009, Bo shifted Wen Qiang sideways, appointing him Minister of Justice, while promoting Wang Lijun to take his place.

    Wang got to work. He arrested Wen’s key police department deputies and protégés, one of whom reportedly died of a heart attack in custody. Another reportedly died by smashing his head against a wall.

    Wen’s sister-in-law, entwined in Chongqing’s organized crime, was dubbed the “Godmother of the Underworld” and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

    Wen’s wife was shown pictures of her husband with an underage prostitute—after which she reportedly led police to the family millions, buried under a goldfish pond."


    https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/09/the-great-irony-of-bo-xilais-downfall/279885/
    edited July 2017 SpamSandwich
  • Reply 8 of 10
    tzm41tzm41 Posts: 95member
    Takes seven posts to go from announcing Apple director appointment to bashing Chinese political atmosphere. Impressive...
    edited July 2017 anantksundaram
  • Reply 9 of 10
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    tzm41 said:
    Takes seven posts to go from announcing Apple director appointment to bashing Chinese political atmosphere. Impressive...
    Yes, it should've happened in two posts. Criticisms of deeply corrupt Chinese politics are well-earned.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    tzm41 said:
    Takes seven posts to go from announcing Apple director appointment to bashing Chinese political atmosphere. Impressive...
    Truth hurts?  How discussing the death of Liu Xiao Bo going for you?  Censored on WeChat and Weibo.

    Won a novel prize, died recently?  Never heard of him?  Not surprised.  Don't search for him...you'll end up on some MSS list somewhere...

    There's lots to like about China and it's certainly a key market for Apple but implying that business or politics in the US is like business and politics in China is deeply disingenuous.

    If Mahe is related to someone important that's simply good business practice for Apple to appoint someone that is both competent and well connected but could also be a two edged sword if that person is disgraced and removed from power.
    edited July 2017 StrangeDaysfastasleep
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