Our Leaders

John Chambers - Cisco

John Chambers is president and CEO of Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Since January 1995, when he assumed this position, Chambers has grown the company from $1.2 billion in annual revenue to its current run rate of approximately $23.8 billion.

Chambers has been lauded by government leaders and publications worldwide for his visionary strategy, his ability to drive an entrepreneurial culture, and his warm-hearted, straight-talking approach.

He has served two American presidents; most currently as Vice Chairman of the President George Bush National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). On this committee, Chambers provides industry experience and leadership to help protect the critical infrastructure of the United States. He was appointed to this position by President Bush in November 2002. He previously served on President Bush’s transition team as a member of his Education Committee and on President Bill Clinton’s Trade Policy Committee.

Chambers was voted the Most Powerful Person in Networking by Network World magazine and has received many other accolades, including the Distinguished Industry Leader Award from the IEEE and the My Boss is a Patriot award and the Above and Beyond award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for Cisco’s exemplary treatment of employees deployed to military service. Fortune magazine has rated Cisco in the top 100 Best Places to Work for the last seven years and also awarded Cisco the Blue Ribbon for appearing on four additional lists, including America’s Most Admired, Global Most Admired, Fortune 500, and Global 500. Cisco has consistently appeared in many other key industry “top” lists including the number one most powerful networking company by Network World, the Top 100 Best Places to Work for Working Mothers, by Working Mother magazine, the Top 15 Best Places to Work, by the Sunday Times, U.K., and the number one best employer in Australia.

In 2002, the National Investor Relations Institute, in conjunction with Barrons and Investor Relations magazines, recognized Chambers with the prestigious “Best Investor Relations by a CEO” award. Also in 2002, Chambers accepted the “Hall of Fame” award from Channel Reseller News for his success in helping channel partners build sustainable business models.

John Chambers is President and Chief Executive Officer of Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader of networking for the Internet. Since January 1995 when he assumed this position, Chambers has grown the company from $1.2 billion in annual revenues to its current run-rate of $14 billion, and a market capitalization over $300 billion. Today, Cisco is the fastest growing company in the history of the computer industry and is among the five highest valued companies in the world. Chambers joined Cisco in 1991 as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Operations.

Chambers has been lauded by government leaders and countless publications for his visionary strategy, his ability to drive an entrepreneurial culture, and his warm hearted, straight talking approach. Widely recognized for his evangelistic style, Chambers is considered one of the most innovative and dynamic leaders in global business today. In 1999, BusinessWeek named Chambers “Mr. Internet,” and one of the top 25 executives worldwide the second time in three years.

ABC’s 20/20 spotlighted Chambers as “The Best Boss in America,” Time Digital placed Chambers among the top 10 most influential leaders shaping technology today, and in April 1999, Worth Magazine named him the #2 CEO in America.

At a White House event, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore described Chambers as “a true leader in this industry, in America’s economy and in the global economy.”

Cisco is proud to play a key role in shaping the Internet economy. In 1997, Cisco conducted one-third of the world’s electronic commerce. Today, over 80% of the company’s orders and technical support are transacted over the Internet. Fortune lists Cisco as the #8 most admired company and one of the top 25 best places to work in America. In 1998, Forbes ASAP designated Cisco as the country’s most dynamic company and Network World rated Cisco “the most powerful company” and John Chambers “the most powerful CEO in the industry.”

Today, Chambers is a member of President Clinton’s Committee for Trade Policy. Prior to joining Cisco, Chambers spent eight years at Wang Laboratories and six years with IBM. Chambers holds a MBA degree in finance and management from Indiana University. He also received a J.D. degree and B.S./B.A. degree in business from West Virginia University.