Per Samuelsson

Hello CEO: Per Samuelsson, Cisco

#vitecherupp Hello CEO Ukraine
In our article series Hello CEO, we are currently focusing on the war in Ukraine and the consequences for our member companies. Cisco Systems is a global company with products and services in networking and computer communications, and here Cisco Sweden's CEO Per Samuelsson tells us what they are doing to help employees and their families in Ukraine.

- We support our employees and their families in every way we can, from relocating them to providing financial assistance. We have also created a humanitarian support fund where all employees worldwide can donate, and are working with charitable organizations by taking advantage of Cisco equipment, as well as providing support to the people who are now displaced." says Per Samuelsson and continues:

- For society at large, for example, we are contributing by further stepping up our ongoing work to help businesses in Ukraine protect themselves from cyberattacks and ensure that government infrastructure is secure. Through the work of our security experts at Cisco Talos and ThousandEyes, we are monitoring the threat landscape, strengthening defenses, and helping to provide situational awareness.

How has Cisco handled any ongoing business in Russia and Belarus?
- Cisco has suspended all business activities in Russia and Belarus for the foreseeable future. We strongly believe this is the right decision, and we are working with our partners in surrounding countries to ensure that their own operations can continue.

What is your call to action for other tech companies that want to help?
- This is an extremely challenging time for Ukraine and it affects the whole world, and it is also a time for unity. Even during the pandemic, we saw huge and coordinated efforts from the business community to save lives, and to save people's livelihoods and jobs - where even companies that are fierce competitors on a daily basis stood side by side to contribute to the relief effort, with technology and solutions made available and developed to make everyday life easier. I think that's an important point, that everyone can do something - but together we can do the most. That is what we should take with us to future crises.