Apple is hiring Angela Ahrendts, who was until today the CEO of Burberry, to lead the Apple retail and online stores' "strategic direction, expansion, and operation." She will join Apple in spring 2014, filling a long-vacant gap in the company's executive lineup. No one is leaving Apple's executive team due to the hire.

In a press release announcing the hire, Ahrendts says she's "profoundly honored to join Apple in this newly created position next year," adding that she looks forward to "working with the global teams to further enrich the consumer experience on and offline."

Ahrendts has a long history in the fashion industry

Ahrendts has a long history at the executive-level in the fashion industry. She became president of Donna Karan International in 1989 at the age of just 29, staying there until the mid-'90s. She joined the executive board of Liz Claiborne (now Fifth & Pacific) in 1998 before joining Burberry as CEO in 2006. Her tenure at the London fashion house is widely regarded as a success. She oversaw a period of prosperity at a time when the brand was in risk of dilution.

This is the second fashion CEO Apple has poached in a matter of months. The company hired Paul Deneve, former CEO and President of Yves-Saint Laurent, back in July. At the time, there was much speculation as to why Deneve, who led YSL's retail expansion, was not joining to spearhead Apple's retail efforts, but rather as a vice president in charge of "special projects." Apple followed up Deneve with the August hire of Enrique Atienza, a senior vice president at Levi's who now leads Apple's US retail efforts, but the worldwide retail leadership position remained vacant until now.

Regarding Ahrendts joining Apple, Cook says he's "thrilled" by the appointment. "She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record."

Update: 9to5Mac has posted an internal memo written by Tim Cook, welcoming Ahrendts to the team and describing her as "wicked smart." The full memo follows: