John Ternus taking Apple's CEO seat has kicked off the long-expected wave of change in the company's senior leadership. The first moves came in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) unit and App Store management.

M&A unit now tied to finance

2

Veteran executive Steve Smith has taken over the M&A and corporate development department, which handles strategic acquisitions and major deals. The unit has been moved under the finance division, and Smith will now report directly to CFO Kevan Parekh.

Adrian Perica, who ran the unit for years, is not leaving the company. He will continue managing Apple News, iCloud and Fitness+, which he has overseen for the past three years, and will report to Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services and App Store.

New era for the App Store after Schiller

Carson Oliver has filled the seat left vacant after Phil Schiller stepped down as App Store chief in August. Oliver, who will serve as Vice President of the App Store, will also report to Eddy Cue.

It is also reported that Cue is evaluating his own potential successors, with Adrian Perica at the top of that list. Time will tell how the changes will affect Apple.