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John Chambers Biography
John Chambers is Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems. Since January 1995, when he assumed the role of CEO, Chambers has grown the company from US$1.2 billion in annual revenues to its current run-rate of approximately US$30 billion. In November 2006, he was named Chairman of the Board, in addition to his CEO role.
Chambers has been lauded by government leaders and countless publications worldwide for his visionary strategy, his ability to drive an entrepreneurial culture, and his warm-hearted, straight-talking approach.
In 2006, Chambers co-led a U.S. delegation of business and helped to form the Lebanon Partnership Program to provide critically needed resources to assist in the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Lebanon. He has received numerous awards, including the Best CEO in America in the "Telecommunications, Data Networking” category by Institutional Investor magazine, as well as the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award from the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), an international forum of more than 120 CEOs and board chairpersons focused on corporate philanthropy.
In 2005, Chambers accepted the prestigious Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for Cisco’s co-sponsorship of the Jordan Education Initiative, on which Cisco has worked in partnership with his Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and the World Economic Forum. He has spearheaded several other key educational efforts, including the 21st Century Schools (21S) initiative, to improve education and opportunity for children in the Gulf Coast Region affected by Hurricane Katrina.
He is a two-time winner of the "Best Investor Relations by a CEO" award by Barrons and IR Magazines, and he received the prestigious "Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship" from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution. He has received numerous other awards including the 2005 International Partner award from the California Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Smithsonian Lifetime Achievement award, and the Presidential Award: Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership from the Business Council. Chambers was also named "The Most Influential CEO" in telecommunications by Institutional Investor magazine and "The Most Influential Person in Communications" by Telecom Magazine. San Jose Magazine voted Chambers “Man of the Year” in 2005.
Chambers has served two American presidents; most currently as Vice Chairman of the President George Bush National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), where he provided industry experience and leadership to help protect the critical infrastructure of the United States. He served on President Bush's Transition Team, Education Committee, and has previously served on President Bill Clinton's Trade Policy Committee.
Chambers joined Cisco in 1991 as senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Operations. He assumed the role of President and CEO in 1995. Prior to joining Cisco, he spent eight years at Wang Laboratories (1982-1990) and six years with IBM (1976-1982). He holds a law degree (1974) and a bachelor of science/bachelor of arts degree (1971) in business from West Virginia University. He later received a masters of business administration degree in finance and management (1975) from Indiana University. He is married and has two adult children.
Education
Bachelor of science/bachelor of arts degree in business, West Virginia University (1971)
J.D., West Virginia University (1974)
MBA, finance and management, Indiana University (1975)