Chief executive Tim Cook called Khan a “brilliant strategist” and one of the “central architects” of Apple’s supply chain. Khan, who started in 1995, has been running operations since 2019. He’s been overseeing product quality, manufacturing partnerships and logistics, plus pioneering advanced manufacturing technologies and expanding production in the US.

The move kicks in at the end of the month and follows what the company described as a “long planned succession”. He steps in for Jeff Williams who led the Apple Watch team and took over global supply chain duties in 2015. Williams had long been seen as a potential heir to Cook, who held the COO role before being appointed chief executive. Williams will stick around for design and health initiatives until he retires late this year. After that, the design unit will report directly to Cook.

The shake up arrives amid fresh trade war threats from Donald Trump. The US prez has warned of 25 per cent tariffs on Apple and Samsung unless they move production back to the US. Supply chain planning has become downright torture.

Trade relations between China and the US have eased recently but remain volatile. Trump described it as “a little problem with Tim Cook” when the boss revealed that by next year factories in India would supply the “majority” of iPhones sold in the US to dodge steep American tariffs.

Another leadership shuffle saw Mike Rockwell, the executive behind the Vision Pro headset, taking over the Siri product division from John Giannandrea, the artificial intelligence specialist poached from Google.

Luca Maestri’s departure as chief financial officer in January and now this COO move mark two major culls in the senior ranks this year.