In Cisco's 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report released today, you will find a more complete perspective on the gender, ethnicity, and seniority make up of our company -in the United States and globally. While we have shared information about the diversity of our workforce since 2005, the report offers greater insight into our people and their backgrounds, experiences, cultures, affiliations and points-of-view.

At Cisco we are focused on ensuring we have a culture that fosters inclusion and enables our diverse mix of talent to thrive. I became Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) in June of this year and I want to make this a personal and professional priority for everyone at Cisco. I began my CHRO tenure with the August appointment of Shari Slate as Chief Inclusion and Collaboration Officer. You will hear more from Shari as she and her team build on our existing foundation.

Our numbers are mostly consistent with our past disclosures and we recognize there are areas where we need to increase our focus and improve. Simply put -our business and people strategies require more. Enhanced reporting helps shine the light on performance against our goals -highlighting gaps, blind spots and opportunities -and intensifying accountability. We welcome that light.

What this means is that we will continue to partner with organizations that promote opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. One example is the Cisco Networking Academy, an organization that has provided training and professional opportunities for more than five million students, including one million young women globally.

We believe that a more diverse workforce will help us better understand customer needs and create innovative solutions to meet these needs. Ultimately every single employee, customer, and partner should feel welcomed, valued, respected, and heard.