Breaking Barriers: Ursula Burns’ Journey As Xerox CEO

Ursula Burns was the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. She grew up in the lower east side projects and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York University. She began her career at Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern through a program for minorities that paid part of her expenses.

How She Became Xerox’s First Black CEO

Ursula Burns has been dubbed “the most powerful woman in business.” But her journey to the top of a Fortune 500 company hasn’t come without its share of challenges. From growing up in the Lower East Side projects to earning two engineering degrees, her life is a testament to the power of perseverance and unwavering ambition. As we venture into an era of inclusion and diversity, Burns’ story inspires leaders worldwide.

She began her career at Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern. The internship was part of a graduate engineering program that was designed for minorities and partially funded by Xerox. She was later able to use this experience to help land an internship at Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Upon returning to Xerox in 1981, she quickly worked her way up through the ranks. After just a year, Wayland Hicks—a senior executive—offered her a position as his executive assistant. Although reluctant at first, she accepted and moved up the ranks quickly, becoming executive assistant to chairman and CEO Paul Allaire a year later. In 1999, she became vice president for global manufacturing and two years later was named senior vice president of corporate strategic services.

In 2007 she was named president and then chief executive officer in 2009. She took over from Anne Mulcahy, making her the first African American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. She was also the first female CEO to succeed a male CEO, making her an important role model for young women looking to break into the corporate world.

During her tenure, she was faced with many obstacles—including a high-profile battle with activist investor Carl Icahn, which ultimately led to the split of Xerox into two public companies, Xerox Corporation and Conduent Incorporated—but she continued to push for progress. Her steadfast commitment to her company helped it remain profitable and competitive.

In addition to her work at Xerox, Burns is an outspoken advocate for inclusive capitalism and racial equity—themes that were at the core of her recently released memoir, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are. She serves on several boards, including the University of Rochester, the MIT Corporation and Boston Scientific, and she is a founding board member of Change the Equation, an organization that strives to improve students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

Her Humble Beginnings

Ursula Burns rose from a Manhattan tenement to the position of CEO of a Fortune 500 company, making her the first black woman to hold that title. She’s also a vocal advocate for inclusive capitalism and racial equity—themes that animate her new memoir, where she takes readers through her nearly 30-year journey from intern to CEO.

Her story begins in the Lower East Side projects, where she was raised by a single mother who constantly told her “Where you are is not who you are.” This mantra served as a catalyst for her relentless pursuit of education and success. She graduated from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn with a degree in mechanical engineering and went on to earn her master’s degree at Columbia University. After college, she found her calling at Xerox, where she started as a summer intern in the 1980s and eventually became a vice president in charge of a division overseeing color and office network printing.

Burns’ frankness and willingness to speak her mind earned her the respect of co-workers, which helped fuel her rise through the ranks. On one occasion, she addressed a meeting of executives and pointed out that Xerox was hiring white male engineers while eliminating jobs for black women. Her question was met with silence, but her resolute conviction helped her climb the ladder at the company.

In 2001, she became senior vice president of strategic services and was positioned for a future promotion to the top spot at the company. She would eventually become president of the document systems solutions group, grooming her to take over as CEO in 2009—making history as the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company.

After leaving Xerox in 2016, she remained on the board of the company’s document technology division until 2017. She also serves as chairwoman of VEON, a global telecoms service provider with more than 240 million customers worldwide. She is also a member of the board of directors at American Express and Diageo. In addition, she provides leadership counsel to community, educational and non-profit organizations including FIRST and National Academy Foundation and is a member of the Board of Trustees at the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Her Education

Ursula Burns went from a Manhattan tenement to the C-suite of one of America’s largest companies. Her story is one of success in spite of obstacles, from a challenging upbringing to the lack of diversity at the top of many major corporations. In 2009, she became the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company when she took over Xerox. Her work was transformative and she led the company through its biggest acquisition in history, converting the former copy and print company into a document technology powerhouse.

She began her career at Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern, part of a program that gave minorities opportunities to learn and advance within the company. The internship led to a full-time job, and she worked her way up through positions in management and engineering. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and a master’s degree at Columbia University.

After graduating with her master’s degree in 1981, she returned to Xerox full-time. She quickly moved up the ranks, gaining leadership roles in areas such as engineering, manufacturing and product development, and becoming president of Xerox’s document systems solutions group two years later. In 2000, she was named senior vice president of corporate strategic services, overseeing production operations. In 2007, she was promoted to president of Xerox Corporation, grooming her for the CEO position two years later.

When she was named CEO in 2009, she was the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. She stepped down as CEO in 2016, and later served as chairman of Xerox until the company split into two separate entities in 2017. Currently, she serves on multiple corporate boards and is chairwoman of telecommunications giant Veon.

Burns says she believes that more diversity is needed at the top of corporations because when people don’t see themselves in leadership roles, they tend to assume that those roles are only available to white men. She also says that when she was a young female engineer, she was often told she was exceptional. She says this bothers her because it gives the impression that there are only a certain number of jobs to go around and that women who excel in science are rare.

Her Career

Ursula Burns’ rise to the top of one of America’s most iconic companies is a story of resilience and unwavering ambition. She began her career at Xerox in 1980 as a summer intern and joined permanently a year later. She moved through the company’s various engineering departments and in 2000 became senior vice president of corporate strategic services, overseeing production operations. It was a position that gave her broad leadership across global research, product development, marketing and delivery.

After years of climbing the corporate ladder, Burns was promoted to president in 2007 and two years later became CEO. She became the first African American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. During her tenure, she fought a high-profile battle with activist investor Carl Icahn, which led to the company’s split into two public entities—Xerox and Conduent. She stepped down in 2016 but still sits on several major board of directors and is a fierce advocate for inclusive capitalism and racial equity.

She credits her single mom with teaching her a valuable lesson: “Where you are is not who you are.” That’s the philosophy that drove her to work hard and take risks. As she rose up the ranks at Xerox, she made sure to bring her own unique perspective to the job and never let anyone tell her that her ideas or thoughts weren’t valid.

During her time as Xerox’s CEO, she was the first woman to lead a company with revenues exceeding $100 billion. Her accomplishment was hailed by many as a groundbreaking achievement, but it didn’t come without its challenges. During her seven-year tenure, Burns led the company through a tumultuous period of restructuring and turmoil that would ultimately result in its separation into two separate publicly traded companies.

In her new memoir, she opens up about the ups and downs of her journey to the top of the corporate world. From the lessons she learned in her Manhattan tenement to her triumphant reign at Xerox, Burns’ book, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are, is a riveting read that inspires and motivates.