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Brian Tippens

Senior Vice President

Chief Social Impact & Sustainability Officer

Brian Tippens is Senior Vice President and Chief Social Impact & Sustainability Officer at Cisco. In this role, Brian leads the company’s integrated social impact and sustainability work, overseeing crisis response, accessibility, employee community impact, environmental sustainability, inclusion, and the Cisco Foundation to advance Cisco’s purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All. He helps drive long-term value for Cisco, its stakeholders, and communities around the world by connecting social impact, resilience, and sustainability across the business. Brian is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in global social impact and sustainability. He is a World Economic Forum (WEF) Contributor, a proud member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and has served as a director or advisor to several organizations including Operation HOPE, the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), Corporate Eco Forum (CEF), the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), the Cisco Foundation Board of Trustees, and the UN Global Compact Network USA, the American chapter of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Brian’s career spans more than 30 years of leadership in the IT industry. Prior to joining Cisco, he served as Chief Sustainability Officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and President of the HPE Foundation, where he led the company’s sustainability strategy and social impact initiatives. He previously spent five years as HP/HPE’s Chief Diversity Officer, reporting to the Chief People Officer. He was also a member of HPE’s Political Action Committee (PAC) and AI Ethics boards. Prior to joining HP in 2000, Brian spent three years at Intel Corporation providing legal support for the manufacturing and IT organizations. Brian is a purpose-driven leader committed to advancing opportunity, resilience, and responsible business practices to address the world’s most pressing challenges. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Brian and his wife live in Houston and are the parents of three adult children.

Articles

December 15, 2025

OUR CORPORATE PURPOSE

Ushering in a new era of social impact in India: Mumbai joins Cisco’s 40 Communities initiative

4 min read

Cisco announced Mumbai as the second location — and first international market — under our 40 Communities initiative. Building on 30 years of partnership in India, we're bringing together skills training, support for startups, and cyber resilience in an integrated approach to tackle systemic challenges and drive lasting change.

November 26, 2025

OUR CORPORATE PURPOSE

8th Global Partner Innovation Challenge: Celebrating this year’s Partnering for Purpose winners

2 min read

The 8th Global Partner Innovation Challenge drew record submissions in the Partnering for Purpose category. Meet the four winners whose solutions are addressing critical challenges in energy, health care, and emergency response with real-world impact.

November 18, 2025

OUR CORPORATE PURPOSE

Introducing our FY25 Cisco Foundation Impact Report

2 min read

Since 1997, the Cisco Foundation has positively impacted more than one billion lives, delivered millions in catalytic funding, and reached organizations in nearly every region of the world. Today, we’re proud to report our latest impact and progress in our FY25 Cisco Foundation Impact Report.  

October 15, 2025

OUR CORPORATE PURPOSE

20 years of Cisco Crisis Response: Reflecting on resilience from Hurricane Katrina to Helene

4 min read

As we mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene and the 20th anniversary of Cisco Crisis Response (CCR), I find myself reflecting on the true meaning of resilience — both within communities facing unimaginable disaster and within the teams mobilizing to help restore hope.

August 7, 2025

OUR CORPORATE PURPOSE

AI for Good: Leading with ethics, inclusion, and impact

3 min read

AI is transforming lives in ways that truly matter-from helping teachers unlock student potential to supporting nonprofits and ensuring access to clean water.

November 4, 2024

PARTNER

Partnering for Purpose Winners: 7th Global Partner Innovation Challenge

3 min read

Celebrate the winners of Cisco's 7th Global Partner Innovation Challenge: Partnering for Purpose, showcasing impactful solutions in climate change, digital inclusion, and more. Discover their innovations and our shared commitment to a brighter future.

October 29, 2024

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Cisco Crisis Response: Reinstating Connectivity to Communities Impacted by Hurricane Helene

3 min read

The Cisco Crisis Response (CCR) team has responded to over 100 incidents across disasters and humanitarian efforts in 38 countries, providing secure connectivity for emergency response agencies and aid organizations to carry out life-saving activities after a crisis - most recently with Hurricane Helene.

October 31, 2024

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Beyond Philanthropy: The Cisco Foundation’s Commitment to Thriving Communities

3 min read

In the Cisco Foundation’s FY24 Impact Report, we dive deeper into our investment model, our partnership approach, how we define and measure impact, and highlights of the results we achieved over the past year.

October 15, 2024

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Cisco’s Vision for an Inclusive Future

3 min read

Cisco is ushering in a new era of impact and simplifying our organization by bringing together the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Social Impact teams as one.