Apple Hires American Airlines Veteran Nate Gatten as Government Affairs VP

Apple has hired Nate Gatten, who most recently served as American Airlines' head of government affairs, as its next vice president of government affairs.



According to a memo from Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel Jennifer Newstead viewed by Bloomberg, Gatten will assume the role on Aug. 31, be based in Cupertino, and lead Apple's global government affairs organization. He will report to Newstead.


"I'm excited to announce that Nate Gatten will be joining Apple as Vice President of Government Affairs on August 31," Newstead wrote. "He's a thoughtful, strategic leader with deep experience navigating complex policy environments."

Before joining Apple, Gatten, a Republican, led government affairs at American Airlines from 2017 until this week. Earlier in his career, he headed global government relations and policy teams at JPMorgan Chase, and at Fannie Mae he oversaw a team that worked with Republican members of Congress.

According to people familiar with the company's thinking, Apple wanted someone who could align with the Trump administration. They also said Gatten's real estate experience could help as the company expands its retail chain and other operations.

Nick Ammann, Apple's current head of government affairs, will report to Gatten alongside Tim Powderly, Matt Brown, and Mike Orgill. Kate Adams, who previously served as Apple's general counsel and most recently as senior vice president of government affairs, will remain in an advisory role until Oct. 1. Until last year, those responsibilities had been held by Lisa Jackson, who also oversaw environmental, policy, and social initiatives. Her departure was part of a broader Apple leadership reorganization.


Gatten is expected to work closely with CEO Tim Cook in the new role. Cook is set to hand the CEO reins to hardware chief John Ternus on Sept. 1 but will continue as executive chairman, where he will maintain a role working with governments, including the Trump administration.

Gatten's appointment follows this week's announcement that longtime Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey will retire in October.