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$30m-a-year for the star of the Silicon Valley and former Staffordshire schoolboy

From Stafford to San Francisco, Jonathan Ive's success story is the stuff of dreams.

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Today described as 'one of the most talented designers of his generation', his is a tale of passion, product and even a knighthood from Her Majesty.

And now, the former Walton High School student has moved on to the next chapter of his incredible career, having been promoted to the role of Apple's chief design officer, a newly-created position at the world's most valuable company.

Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive

Sir Jonathan, the son of a silversmith from London, has previously been Apple's senior vice president of design and has overseen some of the most important products in the technology giant's history, including the iPod, iPhone and iPad, as well as this year's Apple Watch.

Knighted in 2012 for services to design after joining Apple in 1992, he forged a close relationship with late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Sir Jonathan's promotion was confirmed in an internal memo from Apple chief Tim Cook that was published by blog 9to5Mac confirmed that the designer's responsibilities have now expanded beyond hardware and software products to also include the company's retail stores, the new headquarters currently being built in Cupertino, California, and even the furniture that will be placed within it.

In the memo, Mr Cook said: "Jony is one of the most talented and accomplished designers of his generation, with an astonishing 5,000 design and utility patents to his name. His new role is a reflection of the scope of work he has been doing at Apple for some time."

Sir Jonathan also revealed that the promotion will enable him to travel from Apple's secretive design lab more often, as he will now delegate some administrative duties to other, newly-promoted executives, freeing him up to focus on the designing of Apple's new Campus 2 headquarters. The site is known as the 'spaceship' and was said to have been signed off by Steve Jobs before his death in 2011. The new site will reportedly use 100pc renewable energy, as well as have room for 12,000 employees and a 1,000-seater theatre where Apple will conduct future live events and product launches. It is due to be opened late next year or in early 2017.

Jonathan Ive

Sir Jonathan joined Apple during Steve Jobs' exile from the company and with the Cupertino-based firm's fortunes slipping.

Shortly after Mr Jobs returned in 1997, the two men combined to introduce the iMac - a desktop computer that used extensive, bright colours and a translucent shell at a time when neutral colours were the norm.

The two formed a close relationship and went on to transform the company Mr Jobs had co-founded in 1976 by introducing a wave of new products to the technology market.

This included the original iPod, iPhone and iPad - as well as the Apple Watch that was launched earlier this year. The iPod, among other creations of Sir Jonathan's, has since been included in a collection at the Museum Of Modern Art in New York.

Talking about 'Jony', Jobs previously said: "If I had a spiritual partner at Apple, it's Jony. Jony and I think up most of the products together and then pull others in and say, 'Hey, what do you think about this?'

'He gets the big picture as well as the most infinitesimal details about each product. And he understands that Apple is a product company.

'He's not just a designer. That's why he works directly for me. He has more operational power than anyone else at Apple except me.'

Born in Chingford, north east London, Sir Jonathan joined Apple in 1992 as a senior designer, having co-founded London-based design company Tangerine upon finishing his industrial design studies in Newcastle. It was his work at Tangerine, which included creating combs and power tools, that brought him to Apple's attention.

Sir Jonathan has around 5,000 design patents to his name, and in 2003 he was named designer of the year by the Design Museum London and awarded the title Royal Designer for Industry by The Royal Society of Arts.

Though often seen and heard discussing and introducing Apple products via videos at live events, Sir Jonathan is described as a shy and humble man, and said of his own and Apple's impact on the world: "We don't really spend much time thinking about our impact.

''We are fully consumed with trying to make the very best products that we can.''

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