Episode Summary
In this episode, Robert Olsen and Vanessa Flockton sit down with trailblazing business leader Ursula Burns. As the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, Burns shares her remarkable journey from growing up in New York City public housing to starting as an intern at Xerox and rising to become its CEO. She led the company’s transformation from a print and copy giant to a diversified business services enterprise.
Ursula reflects on her 38-year career at Xerox, offering candid insights into leading through change, transitioning from peer to chief executive, and the critical role her trusted advisors played throughout her ascent.
Now co-founder of Integrum Holdings, Ursula applies her transformation expertise to private equity, championing a different approach to growing mid-sized businesses. Instead of prioritizing rapid expansion through acquisition, she advocates for sustainable, organic growth and strong leadership—challenging the industry's "bigger is better" mindset.
Ursula's practical wisdom on navigating growth and building value while creating opportunities for others offers an inspiring and actionable perspective for business owners and leaders charting their own paths to success.
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Ursula Burns
Founder of Integrum and member of the Investment Committee
Ursula has extensive international experience in leading large companies that are facing technology sea changes within their industries.
Burns was the Chairman of the Board of Xerox Corporation from 2010 to 2017 and Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to 2016, after having been appointed President in 2007. Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 and has since held leadership posts spanning corporate services, manufacturing and product development. During Burns’ tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Burns helped the company transform from a global leader in document technology to the world’s most diversified business services company serving enterprises and governments of all sizes. Shortly after being named CEO in 2009, Burns spearheaded the largest acquisition in Xerox history, the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services.
In 2016, Burns led Xerox through a successful separation into two independent, publicly traded companies – Xerox Corporation, which is comprised of the company’s Document Technology and Document Outsourcing businesses, and Conduent Incorporated, a business process services company. After her retirement from Xerox, Burns was appointed as Chairman of VEON, Ltd. in 2017. Burns became Chairman and CEO in December 2018 until June 2020. During her tenure at VEON, Burns successfully steered the company through various compliance and restructuring changes.
Burns is a member of the Uber Technologies, Inc., Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., and IHS Holdings Board of Directors. She is also a founding partner of Integrum Holdings, a private equity firm, Non-Executive Chairman of Teneo Holdings LLC, and the Executive Chairman of Plum Acquisition Corp I. In addition, Burns is on several private company boards, while also providing leadership counsel to several other community, educational and non-profit organizations including the Ford Foundation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Corporation, Cornell Tech Board of Overseers, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Mayo Clinic amongst others. She's also on the Board Diversity Action Alliance, leading an effort to support diversity on corporate boards.
U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Burns to lead the White House national program on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) from 2009 - 2016, and Burns served as Chair of the President’s Export Council from 2015 - 2016 after service as Vice Chair from 2010 - 2015. In February 2022, Burns joined the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness as Vice Chair.
Burns holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York University. Burns is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Royal Academy of Engineering and the G7 Gender Equity Advisory Council.
Her book “Where You Are Is Not Who You Are” was published in June 2021.
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