Today marked the end of an age for Cisco, who earlier announced the stepping down of its CEO John Chambers. Despite hinting in 2012 that he wished to retire in two to four years, his decision to step down now as one of Silicon Valley's veteran CEOs can be considered akin in magnitude to Cisco as Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to step down as manager was to Manchester United.
A Visionary at Heart
Chambers has had an incredible run as CEO, succeeding for over twenty years in an industry where few CEOs manage to survive for three. Serving Cisco in his capacity as CEO from January 1995, Chambers steered Cisco towards its current run rate of $48 billion dollars, and landed the company on Fortune's 500 list, not to mention briefly holding the position of the most valuable company in the world in 2000.
Over the years, Chamber's hand was responsible for seeing Cisco built up into a great organisation, with a reputation of integrity and a channel strategy second to none. Under his leadership Cisco was responsible for a number of market transitions that swept away its competitors, and grew it into the industry giant it is today.
His newly elected successor, Chuck Robbins, is among the first to pay homage to Chamber's powerful influence on the company, saying "Over the past 20 years, John Chambers' vision and leadership have built Cisco into one of the most important companies in the world; a company fiercely committed to delivering for its customers, shareholders, partners, and employees."
Moving Towards the Future...
Fortunately for Cisco, Chambers will be assuming the role of executive chairman from the end of July, and Robbins will have the full wealth of Chambers' experience and support as he steps forward as Cisco's new CEO, guaranteeing the company a leadership powerhouse to be reckoned with as it moves towards what is sure to be even greater success.
For us, Chambers has been a source of inspiration, with his clear and concise view on the industry's heading, and the role Cisco was to place in shaping it. Cisco has been by far the best vendor with whom to work, and we believe that much of Cisco's success is owed to the vision of John Chambers and we look forward to a continued level of excellence under Chuck Robbins' guidance.
