Apple has hired Cynthia Bowman, who most recently served as Bank of America’s global head of diversity, inclusion and corporate social responsibility, as vice president of inclusion and diversity.
“Cynthia is an accomplished leader in her field and deeply committed to Apple’s efforts to advance inclusion and diversity,” a spokesperson for the tech giant told Bloomberg on Tuesday.
Bowman spent 17 years at Bank of America, joining the company in 2007 as senior vice president of leadership development, according to his LinkedIn profile. She added diversity and inclusion to her title in 2013, and three years later she became the bank’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. Last year, the bank added corporate social responsibility to Bowman’s remit, according to LinkedIn. Before she joined Bank of America, Bowman held positions at Accenture and AT&T.
According to Apple, Bowman will succeed Barbara Why, who is retiring this fall.
“She and Cynthia are working together to ensure a successful transition of this critical business,” the company told Bloomberg.
Bowman will be the fourth executive to serve as Apple’s head of diversity since the role was created in 2016.
Apple has been successful in diversifying its workforce, but the results have been mixed. Between 2014 and 2022, the last time statistics were updated, the share of Asians in the U.S. workforce doubled to 30%. During the same period, the percentage of Latinx employees jumped from 11% to 15%. By 2022, 9% of Apple’s U.S. workforce will be black, compared to 7% a decade ago. In 2022, women will make up 35% of Apple’s global workforce, according to the company’s website.
Bowman will report to Carol Surface, Apple’s chief human resources officer.
