Phil Schiller

Phil Schiller
Born	Philip W. Schiller 8 6, 1960
Birthplace	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Apple Fellow
Employer	Apple Inc.
Known for	Former Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple; leadership of the App Store and Apple Events
Education	Boston College (B.S., 1982)
Spouse(s)	Kim Gassett-Schiller
Awards	Apple Fellow (2020)
Website	[[apple.com/leadership/phil-schiller/ apple.com/leadership/phil-schiller/] Official site]

Philip W. Schiller (born June 8, 1960) is an American business executive who serves as an Apple Fellow at Apple Inc., where he is responsible for leading the App Store and Apple Events. A member of Apple's executive team since Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997, Schiller spent more than two decades as the company's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, becoming one of the most visible figures in the technology industry through his prominent role in Apple's product keynote presentations. In August 2020, he transitioned from his marketing role to become an Apple Fellow — the first person appointed to that position in over 20 years, joining a select group that has included Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Schiller has guided Apple's products and marketing efforts for more than 30 years, playing a central role in the launches of some of the company's most significant products, including the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. Outside of Apple, he has served on the board of directors of genomics company Illumina since 2016 and has been active in philanthropy, particularly in ocean conservation and higher education.

Early Life

Philip W. Schiller was born on June 8, 1960, in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in the greater Boston area, where he developed an early interest in technology and computing. As a young person, Schiller worked at the New England Aquarium, an experience that would shape his lifelong connection to the institution and to ocean conservation more broadly.

Schiller has spoken publicly about his interest in technology and innovation, themes that have remained central throughout his career. In a 2025 interview with Lamborghini, he discussed the relationship between technology, computing, and the drive for change and innovation, subjects he connected to his broader professional philosophy.

Education

Schiller attended Boston College, where he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He has maintained a close relationship with the university throughout his career, as evidenced by significant philanthropic contributions to the institution's athletics programs.

Career

Early Career and Joining Apple

Before establishing himself at Apple, Schiller worked in various roles in the technology sector. His career trajectory eventually brought him to Apple Inc., where he would spend the bulk of his professional life. By the time Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after the company's acquisition of NeXT, Schiller had become a member of the executive team, positioning him at the center of Apple's dramatic corporate turnaround in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing

Schiller served as Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for more than two decades, a tenure that made him one of the longest-serving members of Apple's leadership team. In this role, he oversaw the marketing strategies for virtually all of Apple's major product lines, including the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

As the head of worldwide marketing, Schiller was described by Advertising Age as one of the most prominent marketing executives in the technology industry. His role extended beyond traditional marketing to encompass product positioning, messaging strategy, and direct involvement in product development decisions.

Keynote Presentations

One of Schiller's most visible roles at Apple was as a presenter at the company's keynote events, where new products and software were announced to the public and press. He became a familiar face to Apple customers and technology enthusiasts worldwide through these appearances, which took place at events including the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's fall product launches, and special media events throughout the year.

Schiller presented at numerous keynote events over his career. Notably, during Steve Jobs's medical leave of absence in 2009, Schiller took on an expanded role as a keynote presenter. He delivered the keynote address at WWDC 2009, presenting new products and software updates during a period when Jobs was away from the company for health reasons.

His presentation style was characterized by detailed technical demonstrations and product showcases, and he was frequently responsible for introducing key hardware specifications and pricing details during Apple launches. Over the years, Schiller presented launches for multiple generations of the iPhone, Mac, and other Apple products, becoming closely associated with the company's public-facing identity.

Product Involvement

Throughout his career at Apple, Schiller was involved in the development and launch of numerous products. His marketing role gave him a seat at the table during product development discussions, and he was known within the company for his input on product design and feature decisions.

Schiller's involvement extended to product naming conventions. In a notable example, he addressed public curiosity about the naming of the iPhone XR, confirming in an interview that the letter "R" in the product name did not stand for anything specific.

Transition to Apple Fellow

On August 4, 2020, Apple announced that Schiller would transition from his role as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing to the position of Apple Fellow. The appointment was significant for several reasons: it was the first time in more than 20 years that anyone had been named an Apple Fellow, and the title is one of the company's highest-ranking positions, an honor that had previously been bestowed on only a small number of individuals, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

In his role as Apple Fellow, Schiller assumed responsibility for leading the App Store and Apple Events, two areas that are central to the company's operations and public communications. Greg Joswiak, who had worked under Schiller in the marketing organization, succeeded him as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and joined the executive team.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said of the transition: the appointment reflected Schiller's decades of contributions to the company. As Apple Fellow, Schiller continued to report directly to Cook and remained a key figure in the company's leadership structure.

The App Store, which Schiller oversees as Apple Fellow, is a significant part of Apple's services business, generating billions of dollars in revenue annually and serving as the sole distribution platform for applications on the iPhone and iPad. Schiller's stewardship of this platform has placed him at the intersection of major industry discussions regarding app distribution, developer relations, and platform governance.

Board Membership at Illumina

In July 2016, Schiller was appointed to the board of directors of Illumina, a San Diego-based genomics and DNA sequencing company. The appointment was noted in the technology press as an unusual outside commitment for a senior Apple executive, though Apple has historically permitted its executives to serve on external boards in limited capacities. Schiller has continued to serve on the Illumina board since his initial appointment.

Personal Life

Schiller is married to Kim Gassett-Schiller. The couple has maintained a relatively private personal life despite Schiller's public profile at Apple.

Schiller and Gassett-Schiller are active philanthropists. In October 2025, they made a $9 million gift to the New England Aquarium — described as the largest private donation in the institution's history — to expand the aquarium's ocean advising work. The gift was connected to Schiller's personal history with the aquarium, where he had worked earlier in his life. The donation was intended to support ocean preservation and blue economy initiatives.

In May 2025, Schiller and Gassett-Schiller made a $2.5 million gift to Boston College Athletics to endow the head coaching position for the university's women's lacrosse program. The gift reflected the couple's ongoing connection to the university, where Schiller had graduated in 1982 and where they are listed as parents of a 2024 graduate (denoted by the "P'24" designation accompanying their names in the university's announcement).

Recognition

Apple Fellow

Schiller's appointment as Apple Fellow in August 2020 represented one of the most significant recognitions of his career. The title of Apple Fellow is among the highest honors the company bestows, and Schiller was the first person to receive the designation in more than two decades. Previous Apple Fellows have included co-founder Steve Wozniak, among a small number of other individuals who made exceptional contributions to the company and the technology industry.

Industry Recognition

As the longtime head of marketing at Apple — the world's most valuable company — Schiller was recognized as one of the most influential marketing executives in the technology sector. Advertising Age identified him as one of the highest-paid chief marketing officers globally, reflecting the scale and significance of his role at Apple.

Schiller's role in Apple's keynote presentations also gave him a level of public recognition unusual for a marketing executive, making him one of the most recognizable figures in the technology industry alongside Apple's CEOs.

Legacy

Phil Schiller's tenure at Apple spans a period that encompasses the company's transformation from a struggling computer manufacturer in the late 1990s to the world's most valuable public company. As a member of the executive team since Steve Jobs's return in 1997, Schiller was present for and contributed to the development and marketing of products that fundamentally changed the consumer electronics, music, mobile telecommunications, and personal computing industries.

His more than 30 years of service to Apple make him one of the longest-tenured members of the company's senior leadership. His transition to the Apple Fellow role, rather than retirement, underscored both his continued value to the organization and the depth of his institutional knowledge.

In his role overseeing the App Store, Schiller manages a platform that has created an entirely new economy for software developers worldwide and has become a central part of Apple's growing services business. His leadership of Apple Events ensures continuity in one of the technology industry's most-watched corporate communications programs.

Beyond his corporate career, Schiller's philanthropic activities — including his record-setting donation to the New England Aquarium and his endowment of a coaching position at Boston College — reflect a commitment to ocean conservation and educational institutions.