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Francine Katsoudas

EVP and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer

Francine Katsoudas is Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco. In this role, Fran oversees critical functions that instill Cisco’s conscious culture, contribute to the company’s overall performance, and advance Cisco’s purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All.

As head of the People, Policy & Purpose Organization, Fran leads an ecosystem comprised of People & Communities, Corporate Affairs, Workplace Resources, and Government Affairs & Country Digital Acceleration. This strategic alignment of functions and expertise ensures holistic care for the well-being of Cisco’s people, establishes Cisco as a trusted and valued partner to governments and global leaders, and extends Cisco’s reach to positively impact communities everywhere in alignment with the company purpose.

A 25-year veteran of Cisco, Fran has extensive experience leading organizational transformations, driving large scale growth, cultivating successful leaders and teams, and constructing an employee-first culture. Prior to her current role, she served as HR business partner to the Engineering leadership team, and held positions in the Service Provider, HR Operations, Customer Service, Acquisition Integration and Services groups. Prior to Cisco, Fran worked in both the financial and professional services industries with a focus on customer service and operations.

Fran currently serves on the Board of Directors for Americares, Global Citizen, and ADP.

Passionate about social justice, Fran is an activist and advocate for a variety of causes close to her heart, particularly women’s leadership, homeless youth, and the Latino community. A graduate of the University of California Berkeley, Fran lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children.

Articles

December 12, 2018

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Teaching New Skills & Embracing Talent from Everywhere Fuels Growth in a Rapidly Changing Digital Economy

Today, more than ever, we hear about issues related to the workforce and the age of a digital economy: from talent shortages and immigration to skills gaps and economic inequality to job creation and inclusion. On their own, these are big issues to solve for, but together they represent both opportu…

November 20, 2018

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Between none and many, there’s a bridge

When we are surrounded by difference, we are better. We know diversity amongst board members, leaders, and teams has impact at scale. California recently became the first state to require public companies to have women on their board. At Cisco, we were co-founded by a woman and have had women on our…

January 6, 2016

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

A Great Day at Cisco

There is a cultural evolution happening at Cisco, driven by our business, our innovation and technology, and most importantly, our people. It is being shaped by feedback from our employees and it is helping us define who we aspire to be as a company. It starts with Our People Deal, which is simply t…

October 13, 2015

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Bringing Our People Deal to Life

At Cisco, we want our employees to be at their best, and that means we need to bring the best to them. This is why we launched Our People Deal, which is centered around unleashing every employee’s potential by connecting everything, innovating everywhere and benefiting everyone. Our People Deal is s…

Identifying Cisco’s Next-Generation Leader

By Roderick C. McGeary, Cisco Board Member and Chair, Compensation and Management Development Committee, and Francine Katsoudas, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer       Cisco CEO John Chambers has consistently said that the next time we would talk about CEO succ…

March 30, 2015

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Cisco Committed to Diversity and Tolerance

This weekend our President and Chief Operating Officer, Gary Moore, tweeted to reiterate Cisco’s commitment to a culture of diversity and tolerance in response to Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In doing so, we take pride in joining the largest Indiana-based employer, El…

November 19, 2014

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Cisco Shares Workforce Diversity Data

In Cisco’s 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report released today, you will find a more complete perspective on the gender, ethnicity, and seniority make up of our company – in the United States and globally. While we have shared information about the diversity of our workforce since 2005, the r…