Tim Cook, who joined the NFF Board of Directors in February of 2010, has been named CEO of Apple, the pioneering technology company and the second largest corporation in the world.

Cook, who has worked at Apple for the past 13 years, moves from his role as chief operating officer to the take the top job as part of succession plan to replace the legendary Steve Jobs, who founded Apple in the 1970s and will continue to serve as the company’s chairman.

As COO, Cook oversaw the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.

Before joining Apple, Cook was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product inventory. Previous to his work at Compaq, Cook was the chief operating officer of the Reseller Division at Intelligent Electronics.

Cook also spent 12 years with IBM, most recently as director of North American Fulfillment where he led manufacturing and distribution functions for IBM’s Personal Computer Company in North and Latin America.

Cook earned an M.B.A. from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.