Ursula Burns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ursula Burns
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Burns in 2004
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| Born | September 20, 1958 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (BS) Columbia University (MS) |
| Known for | Former CEO of Xerox |
| Title | Co-Founder, Integrum Holdings and Non-Executive Chairwoman, Teneo |
| Spouse(s) | Lloyd Bean (died 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958) is an American businesswoman. She is famous for being the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Xerox from 2009 to 2016. In this important job, Ursula Burns made history. She was the first black woman to lead a company on the Fortune 500 list. The Fortune 500 is a list of the 500 largest companies in the United States. She was also the first woman to take over as CEO of a Fortune 500 company after another woman. She stayed as the chairperson at Xerox until 2017.
Ursula Burns has also served on the boards of directors for many big American companies. These include Uber, American Express, and ExxonMobil. A board of directors is a group of people who help guide a company. From 2018 to 2020, she was the chairperson and CEO of VEON, a large telecom company. Today, she is the Non-Executive Chairwoman of Teneo.
In 2021, Ursula Burns helped start a company called Integrum Holdings. This company invests in other businesses.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama asked Ursula Burns to help lead a special program. From 2009 to 2016, she led the White House program for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She also chaired the President's Export Council from 2015 to 2016. This council helps the U.S. sell more products to other countries.
In 2014, Forbes magazine said Ursula Burns was the 22nd most powerful woman in the world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ursula Burns was born in 1958 in New York City. Her mother raised her in the Baruch Houses, which are public housing buildings. Both of her parents came from Panama. She went to Cathedral High School, an all-girls school in New York.
After high school, Ursula Burns studied at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. This school is now part of New York University Tandon School of Engineering. In 1980, she earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. That summer, she worked as an intern at Xerox. This internship helped students from groups that were not often seen in engineering. It also helped her pay for her master's degree at Columbia University. She finished her master's degree in 1981.
Since then, many universities have given her special honorary degrees. These include New York University, Williams College, and Georgetown University.
Business Career
Working at Xerox
Ursula Burns started at Xerox as a summer intern in 1980. She officially joined the company in 1981 after finishing her master's degree. For the next ten years, she worked in different jobs. She helped develop new products and plan for the company's future.
In 1990, a senior executive named Wayland Hicks asked her to be his executive assistant. She worked for him for about nine months. Then, in 1991, she became the executive assistant to the chairman and CEO, Paul Allaire. In 1999, she became the vice-president for global manufacturing.
In 2000, Ursula Burns became the senior vice president of corporate strategic services. She worked closely with Anne M. Mulcahy, who would soon become CEO. They worked together as true partners. Two years later, Burns became president of business group operations.
In 2007, Ursula Burns became the president of Xerox. In July 2009, she was named the CEO, taking over from Anne Mulcahy. As mentioned before, she was the first black woman to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She was also the first woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company after another woman. Soon after becoming CEO, she led Xerox to buy another company called Affiliated Computer Services.
In 2016, Ursula Burns led Xerox to split into two separate companies. These were Xerox Corporation and Conduent Incorporated. She stayed as chairwoman and CEO of Xerox during this process. After stepping down as CEO in December 2016, she remained chairwoman until May 2017.
Serving on Boards
Ursula Burns has been a part of many company boards. These include Exxon Mobil Corporation, American Express Corporation, and Nestlé. She joined Teneo as a senior advisor in 2017. In late 2017, she joined the board of directors for Uber. In 2020, she joined the board of Waystar. She also serves on the boards of Endeavor Group Holdings and IHS Holding.
Besides companies, Ursula Burns also helps lead many community and non-profit groups. These include the Ford Foundation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Mayo Clinic. In April 2024, she was nominated to join the board of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, a major chip-making company.
Leading VEON
In 2017, Ursula Burns was chosen as the chairman of VEON. This company is one of the largest telecom service providers in the world. In 2018, she became the executive chairwoman. Later that year, she was appointed CEO.
In February 2020, Kaan Terzioğlu and Sergi Herrero became co-CEOs, taking over from Burns. In June 2020, Gennady Gazin became the new chairman.
Integrum Holdings
In 2021, Ursula Burns teamed up with Tagar Olson and Richard Kunzer. They started a private equity firm called Integrum Holdings. This firm raised $1.1 billion for its first fund. It focuses on companies that use technology to provide services.
Public Service
U.S. President Barack Obama asked Ursula Burns to help lead the White House National STEM program in 2009. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She was a leader of this program until 2016. In 2010, President Obama also made her vice-chair of the President's Export Council. She held this role until 2015, then became chair from 2015 to 2016.
In February 2022, Ursula Burns joined the U.S. Department of Commerce's Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. She serves as Vice Chair for this group.
Community Activities
Ursula Burns gives advice to many community, education, and non-profit groups. These include FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), the National Academy Foundation, and the U.S. Olympic Committee. She helped start Change the Equation, a group that works to make STEM education better in the U.S. She was also vice chairwoman of the executive committee of The Business Council from 2013 to 2014.
She has given graduation speeches at many universities. These include Rochester Institute of Technology, MIT, and Georgetown University.
Forbes magazine has listed her many times as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. In 2015, she was listed as the 29th most powerful. In 2018, she was named one of "America's Top 50 Women In Tech."
Personal Life
Ursula Burns was married to Lloyd Bean, who also worked at Xerox. They lived in Rochester, New York. Lloyd Bean passed away in 2019. Ursula has a daughter named Melissa (born around 1992) and a stepson named Malcolm (born around 1989). Malcolm went to MIT. Ursula Burns has given a lot of money to McQuaid Jesuit High School in New York.
Memoir
In 2021, Ursula Burns wrote a book about her life. It is called Where You Are Is Not Who You Are: A Memoir.
See also
In Spanish: Ursula Burns para niños
- List of International Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
