Apple PR Veteran Top Candidate for Twitter Communications Job

Long-time Apple PR veteran Natalie Kerris might be joining Twitter, as the company wants her to run its communication unit, reports Re/code.

Kerris is well known in Silicon Valley for her achievements at Apple. Her 14 years of work at Apple includes launches of iconic products such as the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air, and most recently Apple Pay and the Apple Watch.

Although Kerris indicated that she would retire, apparently Twitter has made her an offer she is finding difficult to refuse. Re/code says she has spent a lot of time talking to top Twitter executives and is currently the leading candidate for the job.

If Kerris accepts the job, she will replace Gabriel Stricker and report to general counsel Vijaya Gadde, not, interestingly, to newly named CMO Leslie Berland.

Kerris’ challenge would be to turn around the perception that “Twitter hasn’t innovated its product enough and has too much exec turmoil,” writes Kara Swisher for Re/code. Twitter made headlines earlier this week due to high-profile departures such as media head Katie Jacobs Stanton, product head Kevin Weil, and engineering head Alex Roetter, alongside top HR exec Skip Schipper.