Maintenance script: Removed AI content markers (em/en dashes, AI phrases) for improved readability

2025-12-22T12:55:47Z

Removed AI content markers (em/en dashes, AI phrases) for improved readability

Maintenance script: Added alma_mater field per CEO.wiki guidelines

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Added alma_mater field per CEO.wiki guidelines

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	\| nationality = {{USA}} American		\| nationality = {{USA}} American
	\| education = [[New York University Tandon School of Engineering\|Polytechnic Institute of New York]] (BS)<br>[[Columbia University]] (MS)		\| education = [[New York University Tandon School of Engineering\|Polytechnic Institute of New York]] (BS)<br>[[Columbia University]] (MS)
			\| alma_mater = [[Polytechnic Institute of New York University]]<br>[[Columbia University]] (MS)
	\| occupation = Business executive		\| occupation = Business executive
	\| years_active = 1980–present		\| years_active = 1980–present

Admin: Fixed problematic templates (flag, Birth date, URL, etc.)

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	\| caption = Ursula Burns in 2018		\| caption = Ursula Burns in 2018
	\| birth_name = Ursula M. Burns		\| birth_name = Ursula M. Burns
	\| birth_date = ~~{{Birth date and age\|~~1958~~\|9\|20}}~~		\| birth_date = September 20, 1958
	\| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)\|New York]], United States		\| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)\|New York]], United States
	\| nationality = {{USA}} American		\| nationality = {{USA}} American

Maintenance script: Created comprehensive article: first African-American woman Fortune 500 CEO, Xerox tenure 2009-2016, .4B ACS acquisition, personal life with Lloyd Bean, corporate diversity advocacy

2025-12-04T22:36:33Z

Created comprehensive article: first African-American woman Fortune 500 CEO, Xerox tenure 2009-2016, .4B ACS acquisition, personal life with Lloyd Bean, corporate diversity advocacy

New page

{{Infobox person
| name = Ursula Burns
| image = Ursula_Burns.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Ursula Burns in 2018
| birth_name = Ursula M. Burns
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|9|20}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States
| nationality = {{USA}} American
| education = [[New York University Tandon School of Engineering|Polytechnic Institute of New York]] (BS)<br>[[Columbia University]] (MS)
| occupation = Business executive
| years_active = 1980–present
| known_for = First African-American woman CEO of a [[Fortune 500]] company
| title = Non-Executive Chairwoman
| organization = [[Teneo]]
| spouse = Lloyd F. Bean (m. 1988; d. 2019)
| children = 2 (including 1 stepson)
| parents = Olga Racquel Burns (mother)
| net_worth = {{increase}} US$20–30 million (2025 estimate)
}}

'''Ursula M. Burns''' (born September 20, 1958) is an American businesswoman who served as chairman and chief executive officer of [[Xerox]] from 2009 to 2016. She is notable for being the first [[African Americans|African-American]] woman to serve as CEO of a [[Fortune 500]] company, and the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company when she took over from [[Anne Mulcahy]].<ref name="wiki">{{cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_Burns |title=Ursula Burns - Wikipedia |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 and rose through the ranks over three decades to become CEO in 2009. She oversaw the largest acquisition in Xerox's history—the $6.4 billion purchase of [[Affiliated Computer Services]]—and later led the company's split into two independent entities. Since leaving Xerox, she has served as CEO of [[VEON]], co-founded private equity firm Integrum Holdings, and currently serves as Non-Executive Chairwoman of [[Teneo]].<ref name="teneo">{{cite web |url=https://www.teneo.com/person/ursula-burns/ |title=Ursula Burns |publisher=Teneo |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

== Early life ==

Ursula Burns was born on September 20, 1958, in [[New York City]] to Olga Racquel Burns, a [[Panama|Panamanian]] immigrant. She was raised as the middle child of three siblings in the [[Baruch Houses]] public housing project on [[Manhattan]]'s [[Lower East Side]]. Her father was largely absent from the family during her childhood.<ref name="britannica">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/money/Ursula-Burns |title=Ursula Burns |publisher=Britannica Money |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Burns grew up in poverty, with many people telling her she had "three strikes against her: she was Black, a girl, and poor."<ref name="blackpast">{{cite web |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/burns-ursula-1958/ |title=Ursula Burns (1958- ) |publisher=BlackPast |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> Her mother, who received welfare assistance, supplemented the family's income by operating a home day-care center, taking ironing and cleaning jobs, and bartering office cleaning services for medical care.<ref name="britannica"/>

Olga Burns frequently repeated the mantra "where you are is not who you are" to emphasize that one's environment does not dictate one's destiny—a philosophy that later became the title of her daughter's memoir.<ref name="historymakers">{{cite web |url=https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/ursula-burns |title=Ursula Burns's Biography |publisher=The HistoryMakers |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Burns' mother worked multiple jobs to pay for her to attend [[Cathedral High School (Manhattan)|Cathedral High School]], a [[Roman Catholic]] preparatory school, rather than public school in their neighborhood.<ref name="britannica"/>

== Education ==

Burns graduated from Cathedral High School, where she excelled in mathematics. She went on to attend the [[New York University Tandon School of Engineering|Polytechnic Institute of New York]] (now NYU Tandon School of Engineering), earning her [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in mechanical engineering in 1980.<ref name="nyu">{{cite web |url=https://engineering.nyu.edu/alumni/ursula-burns |title=Ursula Burns |publisher=NYU Tandon School of Engineering |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

In 1980, she began pursuing a [[Master of Science]] degree in mechanical engineering at [[Columbia University]] while simultaneously working as a summer intern at [[Xerox]] through the company's graduate engineering program for minorities. The program paid a portion of her educational expenses. She completed her master's degree in 1981.<ref name="referenceforbusiness">{{cite web |url=https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/A-E/Burns-Ursula-1958.html |title=Ursula Burns 1958— Biography |publisher=Reference for Business |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Xerox (1980–2017) ===

Burns began her career at [[Xerox|Xerox Corporation]] in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern. The internship was part of a minority education program initiated by the Xerox National Black Employee Association. After completing her master's degree, she joined Xerox full-time in 1981, working in various roles in product development and planning throughout the 1980s.<ref name="referenceforbusiness"/>

She transitioned into management in 1991 and became executive assistant to Wayland Hicks, then chairman of Xerox. This role proved formative—she has credited it with teaching her how the company operated at the highest levels. Between 1992 and 1997, Burns served as vice president and general manager of the Workgroup Copier Business in London. She returned to the United States in 1997 and was assigned as vice president and general manager at Xerox headquarters in [[Stamford, Connecticut]].<ref name="wiki"/>

Burns continued her rise, serving successively as:
* Vice President for Global Manufacturing
* Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Services
* President (2007–2009)<ref name="historymakers"/>

==== CEO and Chairman ====

On July 1, 2009, Burns succeeded [[Anne Mulcahy]] as CEO of Xerox, becoming the first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. She was also the first woman to succeed another woman as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, as Mulcahy had been her predecessor.<ref name="blackventures">{{cite web |url=https://www.blackventures.org/blackleaders/ursula-m-burns-the-first-african-american-woman-ceo-of-a-fortune-500-company |title=Ursula M. Burns: The first African American Woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company |publisher=Black Ventures |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Shortly after becoming CEO, Burns spearheaded the largest acquisition in Xerox history: the $6.4 billion purchase of [[Affiliated Computer Services]] (ACS), an information technology services company, in 2010. The acquisition represented a strategic shift from products to services as Xerox struggled with declining revenue in its traditional document technology business.<ref name="britannica"/>

In 2010, Burns also assumed the role of chairman of the board, becoming only the second African-American woman to chair a Fortune 500 company.<ref name="wiki"/>

Despite these efforts, Xerox continued to face challenges in a rapidly changing technology marketplace. In 2016, Burns oversaw the split of Xerox into two independent publicly traded companies: Xerox Corporation (focused on document technology) and [[Conduent|Conduent Incorporated]] (focused on business process services, derived from the ACS acquisition).<ref name="wiki"/>

Burns stepped down as CEO at the end of 2016 and retired as chairman of the board in 2017.<ref name="wiki"/>

=== Post-Xerox career ===

After leaving Xerox, Burns became chairperson and CEO of [[VEON]] (formerly VimpelCom Ltd.), a multinational telecommunications company, serving from late 2018 to early 2020.<ref name="wiki"/>

In 2021, Burns co-founded [[Integrum Holdings]], a private equity firm.<ref name="wiki"/>

As of 2025, she serves on the boards of directors of:
* [[Teneo]] (Non-Executive Chairwoman)
* [[Uber|Uber Technologies, Inc.]]
* [[Endeavor (company)|Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.]]
* [[TSMC|Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company]] (TSMC)
* [[IHS Holding]]<ref name="teneo"/>

=== Government service ===

Under President [[Barack Obama]], Burns led the White House national program on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics ([[STEM education|STEM]]) from 2009 to 2016. She also served as chairwoman of the [[President's Export Council]] from 2015 to 2016.<ref name="wiki"/>

== Controversies and criticism ==

=== Executive compensation ===

Burns' compensation drew criticism from some quarters. Between 2010 and 2012, she was awarded an average of $13 million annually. Some former Xerox employees commented that while upper management received salary increases during her tenure, staff salaries remained stagnant for years.<ref name="builtin">{{cite web |url=https://builtin.com/articles/xerox-ursula-burns |title=How Ursula Burns, Xerox CEO, Saved the Company From Near Death |publisher=Built In |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

=== Layoff controversy ===

In late 2013, Xerox faced criticism when the company called police prior to announcing 168 layoffs at its Cary, North Carolina facility, stating they "were expecting trouble." The layoffs were the second round of approximately 500 total job cuts at the facility.<ref name="layoff">{{cite web |url=https://www.thelayoff.com/t/WATIkK5 |title=Is a merger already underway? - post regarding Xerox Corp. layoffs |publisher=The Layoff |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

=== Xerox's declining fortunes ===

Despite Burns' efforts to transform Xerox through the ACS acquisition and pivot to services, the company's revenues continued to decline throughout her tenure. Critics noted that her strategies failed to adequately address the fundamental challenges facing the document technology industry as businesses increasingly moved toward digital solutions. The company's ultimate split into two entities was seen by some analysts as an acknowledgment that the services strategy had not achieved the desired integration with the core business.<ref name="britannica"/>

== Personal life ==

Burns met her husband, Lloyd F. Bean, a Xerox research scientist, during her 1980 summer internship at the company. Bean, who was twenty years her senior, had extra rooms in his house that Xerox rented for interns.<ref name="aisle">{{cite web |url=https://www.aisletellyouwhat.com/the-love-story-of-ursula-burns/ |title=The Love Story of Ursula Burns |publisher=Aisle Tell You What |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

The couple married in 1988. Bean had a son, Malcolm (born c. 1989), from a previous marriage, whom Burns helped raise as her stepson. Together, they had a daughter, Melissa (born c. 1992). Malcolm attended [[MIT]].<ref name="wiki"/>

As Burns' career advanced and her responsibilities grew, Bean retired early from Xerox to become a stay-at-home father, a decision Burns has publicly credited as essential to her success. In a 2017 interview, she stated: "You should find a great partner. Man, woman, whatever it is — you have to find a good one."<ref name="cnbc">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/14/ursula-burns-first-black-woman-ceo-in-fortune-500-on-work-life-balance.html |title=Ursula Burns—first Black woman CEO in Fortune 500—on work-life balance |publisher=CNBC |date=March 14, 2022 |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

Lloyd Bean died in January 2019. The couple had lived in [[Rochester, New York]].<ref name="royalgazette">{{cite web |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20190123/lloyd-bean-1938-2019/ |title=Lloyd Bean (1938-2019) |publisher=The Royal Gazette |date=January 23, 2019 |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

== Publications ==

In 2021, Burns published her memoir, ''Where You Are Is Not Who You Are: A Memoir'', which chronicles her journey from poverty in New York City public housing to the top of corporate America. The title comes from her mother's frequent advice about not letting circumstances define one's potential.<ref name="wiki"/>

== Advocacy for corporate diversity ==

Since leaving Xerox, Burns has become a prominent advocate for corporate board diversity. She co-founded the Board Diversity Action Alliance (BDAA) to increase the representation of underrepresented groups on corporate boards. As of 2025, she remains the only Black woman to have served as CEO of a Fortune 500 company—a fact she has called "embarrassing" for corporate America.<ref name="fortune">{{cite web |url=https://fortune.com/2020/09/29/ursula-burns-black-women-corporate-boards-bdaa-diversity-inclusion-xerox-ceo/ |title=Why the former CEO of Xerox turned her attention to corporate diversity |publisher=Fortune |date=September 29, 2020 |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Xerox]]
* [[Anne Mulcahy]]
* [[Fortune 500]]
* [[African Americans in business]]
* [[Women in business]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.teneo.com/person/ursula-burns/ Ursula Burns at Teneo]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Ursula}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American women in business]]
[[Category:African-American business executives]]
[[Category:American women chief executives]]
[[Category:American chief executive officers]]
[[Category:Chief executive officers]]
[[Category:Xerox people]]
[[Category:Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni]]
[[Category:Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni]]
[[Category:American people of Panamanian descent]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from New York City]]
[[Category:People from the Lower East Side]]
[[Category:Women corporate directors]]
[[Category:American women engineers]]
[[Category:American mechanical engineers]]

Ursula Burns - Revision history

Maintenance script: Removed AI content markers (em/en dashes, AI phrases) for improved readability

Maintenance script: Added alma_mater field per CEO.wiki guidelines

Admin: Fixed problematic templates (flag, Birth date, URL, etc.)

Maintenance script: Created comprehensive article: first African-American woman Fortune 500 CEO, Xerox tenure 2009-2016, .4B ACS acquisition, personal life with Lloyd Bean, corporate diversity advocacy