In 2009 Ursula Burns was named CEO of Xerox, becoming the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. It was the culmination of an amazing life journey, from a Manhattan tenement to the C-suite of one of America’s most iconic companies. She led Xerox for seven years, stepping down in 2016 after a bruising battle with the activist investor Carl Icahn, which led to the company’s breakup. Burns subsequently served as CEO of the global telecommunications firm Veon and still sits on several major corporate boards. She is an outspoken champion of inclusive capitalism and racial equity, themes that animate her just-published memoir, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are. She recently spoke from her home in London with HBR editor in chief Adi Ignatius. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
“I’m Here Because I’m As Good As You”
The HBR Interview with Ursula Burns
From the Magazine (July–August 2021)
· Long read
Celeste Sloman/Redux
Summary.
The former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, whose life journey began in a Manhattan tenement, is an outspoken champion of inclusive capitalism and racial equity—themes that animate her just-published memoir, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are. In this conversation with HBR’s editor in chief, she talks about good leadership in a multistakeholder world, income inequality, battling an activist investor, how being both Black and female affected her career trajectory, and more.
A version of this article appeared in the July–August 2021 issue of Harvard Business Review.
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