Cisco Joins Global Problem Solvers at 2015 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

This week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting will convene 2500 leaders from business, government, academia, and civil society in Davos, Switzerland. There, these global problem solvers will engage in strategic discussions about the political, economic, social, and technological transformations reshaping the world.

Cisco has been a WEF strategic partner for 17 years, putting us among a select group of 100 global companies committed to improving the state of the world. Being part of WEF gives us an opportunity to build and strengthen the relationships that help us address some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers speaks during the session ‘The Global Business Context’ at the WEF Annual Meeting in 2012. Photo: World Economic Forum

On Wednesday, January 21, Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers will participate in a livestreamed panel on The New Digital Context at 9 a.m. CET (midnight PT). He will discuss how regulatory, behavioral, and technological changes are transforming the digital landscape with Liu Jiren, chairman and CEO of Neusoft Corp.; José María Álvarez-Pallete, chief operating officer of Telefónica; Max Levchi, co-founder of PayPal and CEO of Affirm; and Pierre Nanterme, chairman and CEO of Accenture.

Another highlight at the 2015 WEF Annual Meeting will be the release of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, “Growing Talent Today and Tomorrow.” Cisco Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Tae Yoo will participate in a discussion about the report, which focuses on the role of talent growth in enhancing countries’ competitiveness.

Cisco has long contributed to global talent growth through its Networking Academy program, which helps 1 million people in 170 countries each year develop skills in computer networking and IT.

Like most of our other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, Networking Academy is built on strong public-private partnerships. Cisco develops the curriculum and software that provides assessments and virtualization exercises. Then we partner with schools, universities, governments, and other organizations to deliver the training to students, preparing them for future IT jobs.

For example, in Cambodia, a partnership between Networking Academy and the nonprofit Passerelles numérique is helping young people find meaningful employment and earn salaries nearly 5 times the national average. And in Italy, where youth unemployment is over 40%, top Cisco Networking Academy students are achieving 100% job placement through a special internship program with Italian companies.

Collaborating at the highest levels of government and business to improve the world is what the World Economic Forum is all about. We look forward to participating and reporting from Davos this week. Please follow Cisco CSR on Twitter and #WEF15 to join the conversation.