Apple’s supporting cast steps into limelight

Enter newly minted CEO Tim Cook,design genius Jonathan Ive,mobile software guru Scott Forstall and product marketing maestro Phil Schiller. The quartet have stayed in the wings for years,operating in relative anonymity.

But within the tightly knit Silicon Valley community,they have built formidable reputations in their fields. With Jobs’ departure,they now have an opportunity to take center stage,former Apple executives and experts said.

In June,JC Penney Co announced it lured away Apple retail chief Ron Johnson to be its CEO and a few weeks later news emerged that veteran lawyer Chip Lutton is also planning to leave. Rumors surface sporadically that Ive might return to his native Britain,although they have never been corroborated.

Jobs’ stepping down “may give these guys more freedom to make decisions themselves,” said David Hornik,a partner at August Capital,about the top tier.

Jane Stevenson,vice chairman of board and CEO services at executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International,agrees.

“When a strong person steps out,it’s an opportunity for others to step up,” she said. “And I think this is a great opportunity in many ways because Steve is still there as chairman.”

Those who have known or worked with some of these executives describe the team and talent at Apple using terms such as “brilliant” and “very close.”

London native Ive — Jony to most people — is particularly referred to as a “genius” and a “dreamer”.

Known as a confidant of Jobs,the soft-spoken Ive has led Apple’s design team since 1996 and was among the few who survived brutal staff cuts Jobs made when he returned to Apple in late 1997.

“Ive has been involved in every dramatic device Apple has done for a decade,” said a former Apple executive in products and marketing. “He looks at things differently always. Going into Jonathan’s design lab was always fun.”