Today, Fortune revealed its 2025 list of the Most Powerful Women in Business, and Apple’s SVP of Retail + People, Deirdre O’Brien, has once again secured her spot. This is O’Brien’s seventh consecutive appearance on the list, which features “only 20 Fortune 500 CEOs” out of the more than 50 women who lead Fortune 500 companies. According to Fortune, this highlights “just how competitive it has become.” O’Brien ranks 67th on this year’s list. Here’s what Fortune had to say: An Apple veteran of over 35 years, Deirdre O’Brien manages the tech giant’s retail teams as senior vice president, leading the way on its global retail expansion, including in emerging markets. She oversees a diverse range of functions, from training and development at Apple University to diversity and inclusion, compensation, benefits, and more. In March, O’Brien added Apple’s top people manager spot to her retail duties, returning to a role she’d held from 2017 to 2023. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from San Jose State University. Over the past year, O’Brien has overseen store openings in the U.S., China, Spain, and Sweden, as well as the launch of Apple’s first-ever retail location in Malaysia; further openings in India, the U.S., Japan, and the UAE are slated for later in 2025. As Fortune notes, O’Brien’s path has been quite eventful. After taking over the role previously held by Angela Ahrendts, she inherited the task of reinvigorating iPhone sales through Apple’s global retail presence, while also navigating shifting labor dynamics, including increased unionization efforts at retail stores and the long-term workplace changes brought on by the pandemic. More recently, after a brief period in which Apple appointed its first Chief People Officer, Carol Surface, O’Brien resumed leadership of the People team following Surface’s departure in late 2024. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel #apples #deirdre #obrien #among #fortunes