CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple has named board member Arthur Levinson as its nonexecutive chairman to fill the vacancy left by company co-founder Steve Jobs’ death last month.
Levinson also is chairman of Genentech, a pharmaceuticals company he joined as a research scientist in 1980 and led as chief executive from 1995 to 2009. Levinson has been co-lead director on Apple’s board since 2005. He joined the board in 2000.
Robert Iger, president and CEO of Walt Disney Co., was named a director.
After taking the reins at Disney in 2005, Iger repaired frayed relations between Jobs and Disney, first by making ABC shows available on iTunes, then leading Disney’s acquisition of computer-animated movie studio Pixar — which Jobs co-founded — for $7.4 billion.
The Pixar deal made Jobs Disney’s largest shareholder.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Levinson has made “enormous contributions” to the company since joining the board.
The Associated Press
