Charles H. “Chuck” Robbins is the chairman and chief executive officer of Cisco, a leading information technology company. He also sits on the board of directors of BlackRock, the world’s largest investment management firm, and the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation, one of the largest left-of-center grantmaking organizations in the United States. He is also a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, a body of influential international political and financial leaders. ¹

Robbins is also an advocate for a range of left-of-center causes, most notably the campaign to grant legal status to illegal immigrants residing in the United States. Robbins has admitted that his company employs “many” such persons, and he has claimed that those who arrived in the country at a younger age “deserve” to be allowed to stay. ² Robbins has also argued that achieving left-of-center environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policy objectives should be a core component of every corporation’s strategy. ³

Education and Career

Chuck Robbins has spent more than two decades at Cisco. Previously, he held management positions at two other information technology corporations: Bay Networks and Ascend Communications. During his time at Cisco, he has held numerous vice president and senior vice president positions. In July 2015, he assumed the role of chief executive officer, and in December 2017, he was elected to be the chairman of the company’s board of directors. ⁴

Robbins has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a concentration on computer science from the University of North Carolina. ⁵

Activism

Chuck Robbins has been involved in preventing domestic violence, helping victims of domestic violence, and preventing homelessness. He also heavily engages in political activism and promotes the idea that major companies should devote significant resources and effort to advancing left-of-center social and economic causes. In a February 2021 statement, Chuck Robbins claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic had provided the impetus for the private sector to start backing ESG initiatives through investments into advocacy groups and incentives for clients and partners. ⁶ In December 2021, Robbins announced that Cisco had released its first ever official report on its ESG goals and progress. ⁷

Immigration

Robbins has advocated softening border security and the enforcement of immigration law. He chairs the Business Roundtable’s immigration committee. ⁸ In June 2018, he issued a statement opposing the Trump administration policy of separately detaining illegal border crossers and the children they brought with them. ⁹ In July 2019, he announced his support for a bill in Congress that would significantly expand access to green cards for immigrants seeking to work in the United States. ¹⁰

In April 2021, Robbins endorsed the idea of granting legal status to illegal aliens who arrived in the United States at a younger age. Yahoo Finance observed that other executives from leading technology companies such as Apple and Amazon had also pushed for the legalization of younger illegal immigrants. ¹¹

ESG Promotion

Robbins oversaw the release of the first Cisco “Purpose Report” which detailed the corporation’s efforts and successes at promoting left-of-center environmentalism, societal causes, and governance. ¹² A press release about the report claimed that under Robbins’ leadership, Cisco had given more than $470 million to charitable and left-of-center advocacy causes. ¹³

1. “Chuck Robbins.” Cisco: The Newsroom. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://newsroom.cisco.com/execbio-detail;jsessionid=7A02C087B0816086B8DD84137F59D4BF?articleId=423653
2. Pamela Granda. “Cisco CEO joins Apple, Amazon in backing ‘Dreamers’ immigration reform: ‘This is the only place they’ve ever known.’” Yahoo Finance. April 2, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cisco-ceo-backs-dreamers-immigration-reform-134112216.html
3. Kerry Caufield. “‘No option to be quiet now’ — Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins on leadership during the pandemic.” CNBC. February 3, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/cisco-ceo-chuck-robbins-on-leadership-amid-the-pandemic.html
4. “Chuck Robbins.” Cisco: The Newsroom. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://newsroom.cisco.com/execbio-detail;jsessionid=7A02C087B0816086B8DD84137F59D4BF?articleId=423653
5. “Chuck Robbins.” Cisco: The Newsroom. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://newsroom.cisco.com/execbio-detail;jsessionid=7A02C087B0816086B8DD84137F59D4BF?articleId=423653
6. Kerry Caufield. “‘No option to be quiet now’ — Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins on leadership during the pandemic.” CNBC. February 3, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/cisco-ceo-chuck-robbins-on-leadership-amid-the-pandemic.html
7. Chuck Robbins. Twitter. December 13, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://twitter.com/ChuckRobbins/status/1470457713889062916
8. ^[1] Ford Foundation, “Ford Foundation appoints Chuck Robbins to its Board of Trustees,” October 18, 2018. Accessed March 7, 2022.  https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-appoints-chuck-robbins-to-its-board-of-trustees/ts Board of Trustees / Ford Foundation
9. Alan Murray. “‘This Is a Fundamental Issue:’ Why Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins Challenged Trump on Border Separations.” Fortune. June 20, 2018. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://fortune.com/2018/06/20/family-border-separation-cisco-ceo-chuck-robbins-trump/
10. Chuck Robbins. Twitter. July 11, 2019. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://twitter.com/chuckrobbins/status/1149312717645320192
11. Pamela Granda. “Cisco CEO joins Apple, Amazon in backing ‘Dreamers’ immigration reform: ‘This is the only place they’ve ever known.’” Yahoo Finance. April 2, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cisco-ceo-backs-dreamers-immigration-reform-134112216.html
12. Cisco 2021 Purpose Report, Cisco.com, 2021. Accessed March 7, 2022. https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/about/csr/esg-hub.htmling Hub
13. Cisco, Tae Yoo, “Cisco Purpose Report: Measuring and reporting impact along our purpose journey,” December 13, 2021. Accessed March 7, 2022. https://blogs.cisco.com/news/cisco-purpose-report-measuring-and-reporting-impact-along-our-purpose-journeypose journey – Cisco Blogs