Apple's retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, is leaving the company. Here's how she rose from a small town in Indiana to become the highest-paid executive at Apple (AAPL)

Angela Ahrendts

Angela Ahrendts has served as Apple's head of retail for the past five years. But in February 2019, Apple announced she was leaving the company.
She didn't take a typical path into the tech world — her last role was as CEO of Burberry.
But Ahrendts has been the highest-paid executive at Apple, earning almost double what CEO Tim Cook makes.
Here's how she rose from a small town in Indiana to an executive position at Apple.

Angela Ahrendts may not have taken a typical path into the tech world. But she has been one of the most important and highest-paid executives at Apple up until the company announced on Tuesday that she would be leaving in April.

Apple did not say where or why Ahrendts was leaving, other than to note that she was embarking on "new personal and professional pursuits." Ahrendts joined Apple in 2014 as its head of retail, filling a position that had been vacant for more than a year. At the time, the tech world was surprised — Ahrendts didn't have a background in tech and previously had been her own boss; she joined Apple from British fashion house Burberry, where she had served as CEO for eight years.

But Apple has obviously appreciated her. Ahrendts has gotten almost double the compensation of Apple CEO Tim Cook. She's also been the only female senior executive at the iPhone maker.

Here's how Ahrendts rose from her origins in a small town outside Indianapolis to becoming an executive at the most valuable company in the world.