Cisco: Changes in Global Sustainability Leadership

Networking company Cisco takes a holistic approach towards environmental sustainability, encompassing its operations, supply chain and wider community outreach.

To lead this strategy, it has appointed Colin Seward as its new Chief Sustainability Officer.

Colin takes over the role from Mary de Wysocki, who held the role since 2022.

Colin’s career so far

Before starting his career, Colin studied at the University of Cambridge, achieving a BA in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Physics.

He began his career working at Accenture, joining the company in 1994 as a Technology Consulting Professional.

Here, he led and delivered enterprise technology and large-scale transformation initiatives across government and financial services clients.

Colin held this role for more than five years before joining Cisco in 2000.

His career at Cisco has continued for more than 26 years, starting as Senior Director, Enterprise IT Infrastructure and End User Services.

Colin became the CIO for EMEA in 2016, where he was responsible for all IT services across the region, spanning 151 offices in 123 countries.

He then took on the role of IT Transformation Lead and Global Lead before becoming Technology and Data Lead in the Chief Sustainability Office in 2022.

In this role, he led a team overseeing the technology and data needed to drive the strategy and execution of Cisco’s sustainability initiatives.

Stepping into a new role

Colin shared the move on LinkedIn: “I am pleased to share that I’m stepping into the role of Chief Sustainability Officer at Cisco.

“Sustainability is an important part of Cisco’s Purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All, and it is increasingly connected to business strategy, operational execution and customer value.

“Having led technology and data for Cisco’s Chief Sustainability Office, I’ve seen how data, systems and scalable technology-enabled approaches can make sustainability progress more visible, actionable and aligned with business priorities.

“I look forward to continuing Cisco’s progress on our net zero goal, circular product design, the Sustainability Data Foundation and more.”

In his new position, Colin will lead Cisco’s global sustainability strategy, focusing on infrastructure and measurable action.

He brings more than two decades of experience leading technology at Cisco, which will help the company put sustainability into practice throughout its operations.

Mary’s career as CSO

Colin is taking over the CSO role from Mary de Wysocki, who has held multiple roles at Cisco during her 25-year tenure.

She began her career as a Program Manager at Siemens Enterprise Communications, before joining Cisco in 1999.

She worked her way up the company, holding positions including Executive Director for Cisco’s Twenty-First Century Schools Initiative, Innovations Practice Director and Director for Education.

Mary moved into sustainability in 2020, taking on the role of Senior Director, CSR and Sustainability: Strategy, Operations and Impact.

In this position, she led the execution of Cisco’s corporate social responsibility programmes and its annual ESG reporting.

She has held her most recent role of CSO for almost four years, starting in 2022.

As she passes the CSO role to Colin, Mary takes on her new position as Chief Learning and Future Readiness Officer.

Mary writes on LinkedIn: “After more than 25 years at Cisco, I’m thrilled to step into a new role leading Cisco Learning as Chief Learning and Future Readiness Officer.

“One of the things I’ve always loved about Cisco is that it’s one company, but it can hold many careers and many opportunities to grow. For me, this role feels like a return to some very early roots in learning, workforce development and helping people build the skills they need to thrive in a changing world.

“Leading Cisco’s sustainability work has been one of the greatest privileges of my career. I’m incredibly proud of what our teams have accomplished together: embedding sustainability more deeply into our business; advancing our net zero strategy and circular design efforts; building the Sustainability Data Foundation; and helping customers navigate the intersection of AI, energy, resilience and sustainability.”