John Chambers

John Thomas Chambers is the former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems. Currently Chairman US India Strategic Partnership Forum. Strong believer that startups will be the core driver of innovation, economic growth, and job creation in the Digital Age. Tirelessly working to promote new business creation across the globe and the broader development of startup nations and a startup world.

It has been an honor to get to know PM Modi both as a friend and a leader.   As I have said many times, I’ve met almost every government leader in the world over the last 40 years, and candidly, he is one of the very best. It has made my life better knowing him and I’ve learned so much from PM Modi. The 70^th birth anniversary is not only celebration of his life it is celebration of India success in the world. 

I have been fortunate enough to spend time with PM Modi during several trips to India, where I got to hear from him and see firsthand his vision and focus to build a New India. As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, PM approach to a digitized, open, and innovation- led Indian economy is a recipe for success. I believe in Digital India as a concept, just like I believe in his leadership.  

I have always been a big supporter of India. During my tenure at Cisco, we invested in India in a big way, before any other high-tech company, and made it our second world headquarters. Today, I continue to say that if I were to bet on any country in Asia, I would bet on India, and if I had to bet on any two countries in Asia, I would bet on India twice. That’s why I am humbled to serve as Chairman of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. The US-India relationship has been made even stronger by PM Modi’s leadership, and I believe this is an important moment in time for us to build on the momentum we have achieved up until now.  

It is for these reasons, as well as so many others, that I believe that, Prime Minister Modi, India has a leader who will bring the country into the digital future as a leading global player. He understands the power of digital to drive inclusive growth, which I believe is vital to building a sustainable global economy. PM empowering citizens through broadband, universal phone connectivity, public internet access points, Wi-Fi in schools, and job creation, which is truly incredible, and there are many other leaders around the world who I have encouraged to look to India as a model.