Avatar

Guy Diedrich, Ph.D

Senior Vice President

Global Innovation Officer

Dr. Guy Diedrich is a Senior Vice President and the Global Innovation Officer at Cisco, responsible for its Digital Impact Office. In this role, Dr. Diedrich collaborates closely with government and industry leaders around the world to drive mass-scale digitization and skilling initiatives that help increase GDP, create millions of next-generation jobs, and develop sustainable innovation ecosystems around the world. Dr. Diedrich continues to grow and evolve the programs into new markets, building trust with government, industry and academic stakeholders along the way. Prior to his current role at Cisco Systems, Dr. Diedrich was a Vice Chancellor at the Texas A&M University System where he was responsible for research, commercialization, federal government relations, state government relations and strategic initiatives. Before joining Texas A&M, Dr. Diedrich served as President and CEO of GRA Inc., a software development and consulting company that he co-founded and grew from a start-up to a firm employing more than 130 professionals. The company was sold to a publicly-traded technology company. Dr. Diedrich holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University, a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge (Kings College) and a Ph.D. from Swansea University where he studied the economics of trust in organizations. Dr. Diedrich is a published author in cost accounting and medical psychology, and has worked extensively throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East for more than two decades.

Articles

December 4, 2025

OUR CORPORATE PURPOSE

Making sure AI becomes the global equalizer — and not the great divider

4 min read

Cisco’s Digital Impact Office has partnered with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to create the Digital Well-being Hub, which dives deeper into the complex relationships between AI and digitization as well as their impact on people’s lives and well-being. 

September 22, 2025

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Cisco Bets on Austin: Celebrating Our New Downtown Office

3 min read

Today marks a momentous milestone for Cisco as we open the doors to our brand-new office in downtown Austin. A Cisco Showcase, this office features the complete portfolio of Cisco’s future-proofed workplace technologies with a variety of real-time use cases.  

Cisco Country Digital Acceleration: A decade of empowering nations through digital transformation

4 min read

Celebrate 10 years of Cisco's Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, which empowers nations worldwide through digital transformation. Learn how CDA is revolutionizing connectivity, education, healthcare, and security with innovative solutions like AI, 5G, and quantum computing.

November 7, 2024

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

It’s Time To Have A Real Conversation About The Quality Of Digital Life

4 min read

Cisco and the OECD have launched the Digital Well-being Hub to explore the relationship between technology and individual well-being. The hub aims to understand how digital transformation impacts life satisfaction, mental health, digital skills, and civic engagement and more. By crowdsourcing insights and using OECD data, it seeks to inform policies for an inclusive, secure, and sustainable digital future.

August 1, 2024

INNOVATION

How Smart Tech is Teaching Us About Our Oceans, One Catch at a Time

2 min read

Discover how smart technology is revolutionizing our understanding of the oceans and aiding fishermen, with innovative gear that collects vital data to help navigate changing seas and support sustainable fishing practices.

January 15, 2024

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

How does technology impact well-being? Cisco and OECD will launch a global study to find out.

3 min read

Cisco announces a partnership with the OECD to study well-being in the digital age. Our joint initiative will examine the complex nature of digital transformation, its role as both a catalyst for progress and a source of potential risk to well-being.

December 12, 2023

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

The Next One Billion Lives

3 min read

Our ability to impact billions of lives lies in our ability to scale. We’re now expanding our areas of focus to impact entire communities through our Social Impact, Networking Academy, and Country Digital Acceleration programs — to address systemic causes of inequity through innovation and create lasting, generational change.

August 3, 2023

EXECUTIVE PLATFORM

Building a Stronger, More Secure, More Connected Ukraine Together

3 min read

Cisco is launching the next wave of Country Digital Acceleration program initiatives in Ukraine to help secure the country’s critical infrastructure, promote connectivity, and provide critical workforce development training.

December 16, 2022

EDUCATION

Harnessing the power of technology on the Pacific Islands

1 min read

Cisco is determined to play a part in helping the Pacific Islands combat challenges related to digital skills development and sustainability