Apple taps American Airlines veteran Nate Gatten as govt affairs head

Gatten will become Apple's vice president of government affairs as the iPhone maker navigates tariffs and a closer relationship with the Trump administration

By Mark Gurman

 

Apple Inc. hired Nate Gatten as its new head of government affairs, tapping a longtime American Airlines Group Inc. executive with Republican ties to handle a delicate role at the company.  

Gatten will assume the title of vice president of government affairs on Aug. 31, Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel Jennifer Newstead said in a memo viewed by Bloomberg News. Previous legal chief Kate Adams, who has served as senior vice president of government affairs, will remain in an advisory role until Oct. 1. 

 

The move marks an evolution in the government affairs role. Until last year, the responsibilities had been held by Lisa Jackson, who also oversaw environmental, policy and social initiatives. Jackson, a former Obama administration official who ran the Environmental Protection Agency, joined Apple in 2013 to help pursue ambitious green goals.

 

 

President Donald Trump’s two terms in office brought new challenges to the job, especially as he sought to impose tariffs on products made overseas. In recent years, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has taken an increasingly hands-on role managing the relationship with the White House.

 

Gatten, a Republican, started at American Airlines in 2017 as senior vice president of global government affairs. Before that, he held a similar role at JPMorgan Chase & Co. At Fannie Mae, he oversaw a team that worked with Republican members of Congress. 

 

Apple wanted someone who could align with the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the company’s thinking. He also has experience in real estate that could help the iPhone maker as the company expands its retail chain and other operations, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations were private.

 

At the same time, Apple sees Gatten as someone who can work constructively with policymakers on both sides of the aisle, the people said. That will be especially important if the balance of power shifts in Washington. Democrats are vying to take control of at least one chamber of Congress in midterm elections in November, and Trump has less than 2 1/2 years left in his term.

 

Gatten serves on the board of the Faith and Politics Institute, a Washington-based organization founded in 1991 that seeks to promote productive and civil discourse across partisan lines.

 

The executive is expected to work closely with Cook in the new job, according to the people.

 

During his time at American, Gatten’s profile expanded to encompass not only government affairs but also corporate real estate, including overseeing all airport properties and leases, and leadership of American’s regional business. He also helped the carrier navigate fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, including efforts to obtain financial relief for airlines from Congress.

 

Stephen Neuman, senior vice president and global head of government affairs at American Airlines, said he worked for Gatten for nine years and had nothing but good things to say.

 

“There are two kinds of people in the world, those who love Nate Gatten, and those who haven’t met him yet,” he said in an interview.

 

Apple’s current head of government affairs, Nick Ammann, will shift down one rung in the organization as part of the change. He’ll report to Gatten, along with other leaders in the group: Tim Powderly, Matt Brown and Mike Orgill.

 

The move is just the latest major executive shift at Apple, which is seeing a widespread changing of the guard in its top ranks. This week, the company told employees that its longtime head of Apple Pay and Wallet services is stepping down.

 

Read More: Apple Executive in Charge of Pay and Wallet Services Is Leaving

 

Cook, meanwhile, will maintain a role working with governments, including the Trump administration. He is set to hand the CEO reins to hardware chief John Ternus on Sept. 1, but will continue as executive chairman. 

 

Read Newstead’s full memo:

 

Team,

 

I’m excited to announce that Nate Gatten will be joining Apple as Vice President of Government Affairs on August 31. He’ll be based in Cupertino and will lead our entire Government Affairs operation globally.

 

Nate joins us from American Airlines, where he has led government affairs for nearly a decade. Before that, he led the global government relations and policy teams at JPMorgan Chase & Co. He’s a thoughtful, strategic leader with deep experience navigating complex policy environments. I can’t wait to welcome him to our team.

 

Nate will report to me. Nick Ammann, Tim Powderly, Matt Brown, and Mike Orgill will continue in their roles and will report to Nate. I deeply appreciate their leadership during this period and know they will provide full support to Nate as he joins Apple. Nick’s deep experience at Apple and strategic perspective will be especially important for Nate’s transition and to our success going forward, as will the efforts of the entire GA team. Kate will continue to serve as an adviser to the team until she retires on October 1.

 

Thank you, as always, for your great work advancing Apple’s mission globally. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity ahead for the team as we continue to deepen our engagement with policymakers and stakeholders around the world. Please join me in giving Nate a warm welcome when he arrives.

 

Jen