Thirty-one years ago, he studied mechanical engineering at NC State. Today, he is a leading executive at Apple Inc.
Last month, Apple announced Jeff Williams to be the company’s new Chief Operating Officer.
“[My reaction] is one of pride,” said Gregory Buckner, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “We have tremendous students here, and we work hard to prepare them for a variety of career paths.”
Williams has worked for Apple since 1998, and has since helped pioneer the iPhone and oversee the company’s supply chain. Now, he is a leader in Apple’s development of the Apple Watch. Formerly, Williams worked for IBM from 1985 to 1998.
Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press release said, “Jeff is hands-down the best operations executive I’ve ever worked with.”
This past October, the NC State College of Engineering honored Williams as a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus. At the award ceremony, Williams and the other recipients spoke about stories from their time in college, how much NC State means to them.
“I think the thing that struck me the most is as successful as [Williams] has been, he was also very humble,” said Richard Gould, head of the NCSU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “He really did appreciate his start here at NC State and has a lot of respect for the university, the college and the department.”
Buckner, reflecting on his interaction with Williams, said, “My impression was he was genuinely interested in technology. I think most COOs, CEOs, people at that level, they spend so much time in meetings and doing e-mail, telethons and things, it surprised me that he had the time and the obvious interest in R&D that he has. You could tell he was an engineer at heart.”
Other recipients of the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus award include Neal Hunter and Herbert Fishel.
Hunter was a CEO, president and chairman of Cree, Inc., one of the largest names in LED lighting. Fishel is the CEO of the Business of Motorsports. When he was Executive Director of GM Racing, he led the company to win racing’s Triple Crown in the same year.
Williams, as well as Hunter and Fishel, has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from NC State.
Buckner said, “It’s no surprise to me that Jeff Williams has reached the level that he’s reached because it is the most common undergraduate degree for people in his position. That surprises some, but if you think about what we emphasize in undergraduate engineering education, it’s innovative problem-solving, […] reliability, safety and these are all characteristics that are well-suited to corporate leadership.”
Gould agreed with Buckner, saying “It’s a great story; it’s not an unusual story. About a third of all of the CEOs majored in engineering, so it’s really common for engineering majors to be senior level executives in corporate America.”
