Ursula Burns
First Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, as CEO of Xerox
- Age
- 68 yrs
- Birthday in 318 days
- Works listed
- 1
- Memoir
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Ursula Burns is an American business executive who rose from summer intern to CEO of Xerox, becoming in 2009 the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. She later led the telecoms group VEON and advised the White House on science education.
Biography
Background
Burns was raised by a single mother in public housing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. She studied mechanical engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnic and earned a master’s at Columbia.
Xerox
She joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 and worked her way up through engineering and strategy roles to president.
CEO
As CEO from 2009 she moved Xerox towards business services, buying Affiliated Computer Services, and later split the company. She was chairman until 2017.
Later
She was chair and CEO of VEON, led US export council and science-education efforts under President Obama, and wrote the memoir Where You Are Is Not Who You Are (2021).
Timeline
-
1958
Born in New York City, United States
-
1980
Joins Xerox as an intern
-
2007
President of Xerox
-
2009
CEO of Xerox
-
2016
Steps down as CEO
-
2018
Chair of VEON
-
2021
Memoir published
Notable works
-
2021
Where You Are Is Not Who You Are Memoir
Did you know?
-
1
She succeeded Anne Mulcahy, the first woman-to-woman CEO handover at a Fortune 500 company.
-
2
Her mother ran a home day-care centre.
-
3
She co-chaired the White House STEM education initiative.
Connections
Also born on 20 September
Frequently asked
Who is Ursula Burns?
Ursula Burns is an American business executive who rose from summer intern to CEO of Xerox, becoming in 2009 the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. She later led the telecoms group VEON and advised the White House on science education.
How old is Ursula Burns?
Ursula Burns is 68 years old, born on 20 September 1958 in New York City, United States.
Where is Ursula Burns from?
Ursula Burns was born in New York City, United States.
What is Ursula Burns known for?
Ursula Burns is best known for Xerox CEO 2009–2016; VEON chair and CEO; STEM education advocacy.
References
- Ursula Burns — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Ursula Burns — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Ursula Burns (Q465663) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Ursula Burns”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Ursula Burns.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/ursula-burns
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