Musa Tariq — whose career has included stints at Nike and Burberry — is now digital marketing director at Apple, according to his LinkedIn profile. Tariq, who has been a rising star in digital marketing circles, had most recently been global senior director of social media and community at Nike for almost two years. His move to Nike in October 2012 coincided with reports the company was moving all of its social media in-house. Before this, he spent nearly four years Burberry as its director of social media, strategy and innovation. Tariq joins Apple amid an inflection point as the famously-secretive company rethinks the way it engages with audiences. After years of eschewing social media, Apple took to Tumblr in March with its isee5c.tumblr.com that features a collection of designs for the iPhone 5c. Then in May, Apple's longtime PR head Katie Cotton retired after nearly two decades with the iconic company. Since then, onlookers have been speculating about the next phase of Apple's comms strategy. Former White House press secretary Jay Carney's name has been floated as a potential replacement for Cotton, as well as reports that Apple is looking for a friendlier, more accessible face around its PR. Tariq, of course, is among many others that Apple CEO Tim Cook has poached from other successful retail brands. Last fall, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts took on the newly created position of SVP of retail and online stores, reporting directly to Cook. 9To5Mac is reporting that "Tariq reported directly to Ahrendts [at] Burberry and he was instrumental in working with Ahrendts on growing Burberry’s global brand. It is likely that Tariq will work closely with Ahrendts at Apple on her ambitions for taking Apple’s retail precense in the future."