Successor to Apple's design guru Jony Ive to step down after 3 years

Evans Hankey will remain for six months during a transition period and no replacement has been named

Evans Hankey's tenure oversaw the release of redesigned iPhones, iPads and Macs. Antonie Robertson / The National

Evans Hankey, the vice president of Apple's industrial design who succeeded guru Jony Ive, is stepping down only three years after taking on the role.

The departure of Ms Hankey, whose tenure oversaw the release of redesigned iPhones, iPads and Macs, was first announced this week inside the Cupertino-based company, said Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who first reported the news.

Ms Hankey, who reported to Mr Ive until his departure in 2019 and now reports to chief operating officer Jeff Williams, told her colleagues that she will remain with the company for the next six months and will work with Apple during this transition period. Plans for the next chapter of her career have not been revealed.

Apple confirmed Ms Hankey's departure on Friday but made no mention of who will replace her in the key role.

“Apple’s design team brings together expert creatives from around the world and across many disciplines to imagine products that are undeniably Apple,” a representative said.

“The senior design team has strong leaders with decades of experience. Evans plans to stay on as we work through the transition, and we’d like to thank her for her leadership and contributions.”

The exit of Ms Hankey will create a void in Apple's top leadership team. Her impending departure will be the first time the company will be without a design chief since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs retook control of the company in 1997.

Richard Howarth, a key designer on both Mr Ive’s and Ms Hankey’s teams, briefly held the role of head of industrial design between 2015 and 2017.

Mr Ive — who famously locked down his division's facilities, including a pantry within, to prevent leaks — led Apple's design team for two decades and has been credited for the iconic designs on Apple's products, including the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac lines.

Bloomberg contributed to this report