John Chambers assumed leadership of Cisco Systems in January 1995, and has grown the company from $1.2 billion in annual revenues to approximately $23.8 billion.

In March, 2004, for the second time, Chambers was given the "Best Investor Relations by a CEO" award by Barron's and IR magazines, and in April he received the prestigious "Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship" from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution. Recently, Chambers was also named "The Most Influential CEO" in telecommunications by Institutional Investor magazine and "The Most Influential Person in Communications" by Telecom Magazine.

Chambers has served as Vice Chairman of the President George Bush National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). On this committee, he provides 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 previously served on President Bill Clinton's Trade Policy Committee.

Chambers joined Cisco in 1991 as senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Operations. Prior to joining Cisco, he spent eight years at Wang Laboratories and six years with IBM. He holds a law degree and a B.S./B.A. in business from West Virginia University. He also received an M.B.A. in finance and management from Indiana University.