Apple announced on Monday evening that it has hired Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to take on a new position at the company: Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores.

Ahrendts will report directly to CEO Tim Cook, and will oversee the strategic direction and operations of Apple’s retail business, both online and off. She’ll join the company in the spring.

“I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team,” said Cook. “She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.”

Cook sent an email to staff about the hire, which 9to5Mac obtained. In that, he said, “She will lead both our retail and online teams. I have wanted one person to lead both of these teams for some time because I believe it will better serve our customers, but I had never met anyone whom I felt confident could lead both until I met Angela. We met for the first time last January, and I knew in that meeting that I wanted her to join Apple. We’ve gotten to know each other over the past several months and I’ve left each conversation even more impressed.”

“She shares our values and our focus on innovation,” he continued. “She places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She cares deeply about people and embraces our view that our most important resource and our soul is our people. She believes in enriching the lives of others and she is wicked smart. Angela has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record. She led Burberry through a period of phenomenal growth with a focus on brand, culture, core values and the power of positive energy.”

“I am profoundly honored to join Apple in this newly created position next year, and very much look forward to working with the global teams to further enrich the consumer experience on and offline,” said Ahrendts. “I have always admired the innovation and impact Apple products and services have on people’s lives and hope in some small way I can help contribute to the company’s continued success and leadership in changing the world.”

Ahrendts will spend the time leading up to her Apple role transitioning leadership over at Burberry.

Image: Angela Ahrendts (Twitter)