Maria Poveromo

Maria is Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Cisco. As a member of the executive leadership team, she promotes the company’s brand and reputation with powerful global storytelling and integrated communications.

Cisco’s Global Communications organization leverages a multi-channel approach to campaigns and launches, delivering impactful messaging to media, analysts, influencers, customers, and employees alike. As its leader, Maria brings a wealth of experience, an international perspective, and a passion for leadership and creative execution.

Prior to Cisco, Maria held leadership roles at a number of major technology companies, as well as with influential nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad. This included time as a Vice President of Communications at IBM and an 18-year stint at Adobe, where she ultimately led global communications during the company’s transition to the cloud and growth from 2,000 to 20,000 employees.

A strong advocate for social justice and gender equality, Maria began her career at Equal Rights Advocates, a San Francisco-based organization fighting for gender justice. And she has lived in Italy and in France, where she worked to support cross-cultural programs.

In addition to mentoring hundreds of women over her career, Maria has been named one of the Top Women in PR by PRNews and one of the 25 Smartest Women on Twitter by FastCompany. She is also passionate about giving back to the community and has served on the Board of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for multiple terms, currently as Board Chair. She lives in San Jose with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of pets.