Apple has promoted revolutionary designer Sir Jonathan Ive to the position of chief design officer at the company.
UK-born Ive was previously senior vice president of design, and revealed the news during aninterview with Stephen Fry published today in The Telegraph.
The designer has been with Apple since 1992, and has helped to create some of the company's most iconic and game-changing products over the years, includingthe iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
An email from Apple CEO Tim Cook to employees (via 9to5Mac) confirming the change, read: "I have exciting news to share with you today. I am happy to announce that Jony Ive is being promoted to the newly created position of chief design officer at Apple.
"Jony is one of the most talented and accomplished designers of his generation, with an astonishing 5,000 design and utility patents to his name. His new role is a reflection of the scope of work he is doing at Apple for some time."
The position has been created for Ive, with managers for industrial and software design to also be appointed next month. Richard Howarth will take the former, while Alan Dye will head up user interface design.
Ive, meanwhile, will be in charge of the hardware and software design teams, working specifically on Apple's "current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives", such as its stores and a new campus, set to host 12,000 workers.
"Design is one of the most important ways we communicate with our customers, and our reputation for world-class design differentiates Apple from every other company in the world," Cook added.
