Music’s most powerful female exec leaves Apple

In 2016, the former head of global consumer marketing at Apple was introduced to the world when she made a presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Following her well-received appearance, Saint John became a media favourite, her presentation receiving notice across media platforms.

At the end of the year, then 39, Saint John topped the Billboard list of 100 most powerful women executives. “She's a force of nature,” said Jimmy Iovine, who hired her at Apple. “She walks it. She talks it. She knows what's going on, whether it's fashion, music, sports... That's what attracted me to her. I didn't need a technology person; I needed someone to sell a streaming service. And if she could sell me, she could sell anybody.”

While at Apple, the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants worked on a number of projects, including ads starring actress Taraji P Henson, rapper Drake and R&B singer Mary J Blige.

“I am really proud of the work that we all did together at Apple,” she said in an interview following her departure. “Launching Apple Music and having it grow to the size that it is now is something I will always be proud of. That, in and of itself, is a monumental task. To me, those are accomplishments I carry with pride.”

Last week, transportation service Uber announced that it had recruited St John. “I helped build Apple Music,” she said. “It will always be a very, very big part of my life and part of the journey. But it’s time to do this.”