Apple has reportedly hired a former American Airlines executive to serve as Apple VP of Government Affairs from September, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The report, which has been written by Mark Gurman, said that the news was shared in a memo by Apple SVP and General Counsel Jennifer Newstead.
In December of last year, Apple announced that Lisa Jackson, the company's VP for the environment and government affairs, would retire in January. In the same press release, the company also announced that long-term General Counsel, Kate Adams, would also retire in 2026.
Adams transitioned from the General Counsel role to serve as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs in March, and will leave the Government Affairs role on 31st August.
Who Is Apple's Next VP of Government Affairs?
Image Credit: American Airlines
Her successor, who will be the third person to hold the Government Affairs role this year, is reportedly Nate Gatten, who currently serves as American Airlines 'Executive Vice President of American Eagle, Corporate Real Estate and Government Affairs'. His executive profile says that he has served at the company for 9 years and previously lead government relations at JPMorgan Chase where he represented the company before the United State government.
Nate joined American in 2017 as Senior Vice President of Global Government Affairs and has been in his current role since 2025. Previously, Nate was Managing Director and Head of Global Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he led the government relations and policy teams globally, and served as the organization’s primary representative before Congress, the White House and international policy-making bodies.
The Bloomberg report highlights that Gatten has 'Republican ties', which may give Apple some leverage when working with the current Republican US administration.
The current role holder, Kate Adams, is expected to remain in an advisory role until the 1st October.
