PHOTO BY: Photo-illustration by Bart Nagel
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President and CEO, Cisco Systems 1997 compensation $560,000
AGE 49
ADDRESS 170 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, Calif.
BIO Chambers
heads the most successful technology company that no one (outside
Wall Street) has ever heard of, and it suits him. Soft-spoken and
Southern-mannered, he spent his formative years at companies with
big names and failing strategies: IBM and Wang Laboratories.
After witnessing what happens when a company coasts on its
reputation, he developed a strong set of business ideals and put
them to work at Cisco. Chambers' unbending focus on customer
service, aggressive employee recruitment and willingness to adopt
the technology of other companies have met with success. Since he
rose to the status of CEO in 1995, sales have nearly tripled to
$6.44 million and revenues have more than doubled.
1998 POWER PLAY Cisco saw its market capitalization roll past $100 billion
this year after just 12 years in business, a feat that took 20
years at Microsoft. Now the company hopes to create an image for
itself that matches its achievements--in August Cisco launched its
first TV ad campaign.
PLACE YOUR BETS As phone companies start to
use Internet-style hardware, Cisco should profit from huge growth
in its potential market. Analysts expect success, rating it a
strong buy.
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