Alumni Profile: John Morgridge

BBA 1955
Chair of the board
Cisco Systems

John Morgridge, BBA ’55, is chair of the board at Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, supplying networking equipment and network management. Based in San Jose, Calif., the company has more than 34,000 employees worldwide.

Alongside his business success over the years, Morgridge has compiled a long and distinguished record of support to the School of Business and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is evidenced in part by the John Morgridge Auditorium found in Grainger Hall.  He was awarded the Distinguished Business Alumnus Award in 1991 and served on the Dean’s Advisory Board from 1987-1991.

In a talk to MBA students during the spring of 2006, Morgridge recounted how he left a corporate giant after 20 years to pursue more entrepreneurial ventures.  This journey led him to join an unknown start-up company named Cisco Systems as president and CEO in 1988. Morgridge was the 34th employee to be hired by Cisco, which under his leadership, grew from $5 million in sales to more than $1 billion, becoming one of the largest and most highly regarded high-tech companies in the world.

Morgridge said he has noticed that many CEOs come out of the Midwest and that the University of Wisconsin-Madison reflects many of those qualities. When questioned about start-ups, Morgridge responded “If you look at start-up founders, they aren’t typical business people,” Morgridge said.  “They have a burning desire to start a company and a unique vision.”

He also believes it is better to start on a tight budget.  “It’s better for start-ups not to have too much money.  Frugality causes you to execute the very best options.”