We Are Family – Cisco Sisters

“We are family! I’ve got all my sisters and me!” ~ Sister Sledge. Now that we’ve gotten a disco tune earworm in your brain, let’s talk about how two sisters, Janine and Jina Daniel, are making the Cisco family part of THEIR family.

Janine is a Fresno State graduate, and even when she was still in school, she knew she wanted to work at Cisco.

“It was my #1 choice, because I wanted to make a difference,” she says. “I saw a lot of innovation, and Cisco showing their passion for changing the world. In 2006-2007 I saw John Chambers (then CEO) driving change.”

Janine went on a mission. She attended every early-in-career fair at Cisco that she could find. She says she “met good people” and got advice, and she kept going for her goal until she landed her Cisco job.

Eight years later, Janine is still working for Cisco. After moving through different career opportunities here, she’s now a Global Regulatory Compliance Manager in Supply Chain Transformation. That means she helps innovate and change the way Cisco runs our supply chain.

Jina is Janine’s younger sister – by seven years. She caught the “Work at Cisco” bug hearing her big sis talk about her job.

“Janine started working for Cisco when I was in high school,” Jina remembers. “Ever since then, I have always wanted to be apart of Cisco. Janine shared with me how awesome it was.”

Jina started out as an intern when she was attending San Jose State, and did that for two years. She then came on full-time, and she’s now 3 full years in at Cisco. Currently, she works in Services Portfolio & Enablement (under Services Strategy & Operations) on the operations side. Her organization changes and drives new ways of selling and buying Cisco Services, and makes it easier for the integrated sales force to sell Cisco Services.

“We change people’s lives with our technology,” Jina says. “It’s totally unique to Cisco. And here, we can really change the world. It’s not just a slogan.”

The sisters are close (obviously) and consider working together a built-in support system. Plus, they learn from each other and get insights into other parts of the business.

“We talk a lot about work,” Janine laughs. “I’m sure our parents are tired of hearing about it.”

“Both of our teams have adopted the other one, “ Jina says. “My manager will ask about her and her manager will ask about me. And we’re part of the bigger family.”

Plus, they’re part of the family of women in technology.

“Cisco is the best place for women in tech to work,” Jina explains. “It’s not just for show. It’s about my growth and development. Cisco cares. But I don’t feel like they treat me differently as a woman. I’m just a part of the team.”

“Plus,” Janine finishes her sister’s thought. “We have the women on the leadership team to be role models. They show us that it’s okay to have that personal take on tech, and to be empowered, but you’re playing with everyone fairly. We don’t feel like it’s a ‘thing,’ we’re just Cisco people.”

“No matter who works here, no matter what job, we’re a family.”

Want to join the Cisco family? See open roles around the globe now.