Title: Head of Product Marketing and Go-To-Market for Cisco Provider Mobility
Company: Cisco Systems Inc.
Location: Fremont, California, United States
Vidya Sawhny, MA, head of product marketing and go-to-market (GTM) for Cisco provider mobility at Cisco Systems Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in technology, marketing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Ms. Sawhny has built a foundation of more than 20 years of communications expertise and leadership in the technology space. Prior to moving to the United States, she started her professional life as a corporate communication intern at i-flex Solutions in 2003. From 2004 to 2006, Ms. Sawhny was a senior public relations (PR) associate at Burson-Marsteller. Though still working from India for this position, she gained experience working with multiple Fortune 500 companies around the world, with her media launch campaigns leading to $7 million in revenue growth.
Ms. Sawhny immigrated to the United States in 2007 to complete her graduate studies and joined Ketchum in 2008 as a PR research associate. This opportunity came as a result of winning the Ketchum Excellence in PR Research Award from the Institute for Public Relations and receiving a research grant at Yale University. Ms. Sawhny held the role of worldwide public relations manager at Sun Microsystems for one year, expanding her knowledge of advancements in technology. Her contributions led to a noteworthy 20% year-over-year increase in web traffic for the company.
In 2009, Ms. Sawhny began a seven-year tenure with Hewlett-Packard, initially as a worldwide PR manager and later as a worldwide product marketing manager. She focused primarily on the company’s cloud technology portfolio, expanding from PR to marketing as she took on more responsibilities. While at Hewlett-Packard, Ms. Sawhny was praised for operating with the agility of a startup despite managing a multimillion-dollar segment of the business. Among other accomplishments, she helped launch a global telecommunications partner program that drove $5 million in revenue.
Culminating the sharp trajectory of her career, Ms. Sawhny accepted a position as the lead product marketing manager for cloud, data center networking and compute at Cisco Systems Inc. in 2017. Across nearly 10 years with the company, she was promoted to head of product marketing and demand generation for customer experience security and automation, and then head of product marketing and demand generation for automation and AI. Since 2025, Ms. Sawhny has served as the head of product marketing and GTM for mobility and AI. She heads marketing for Cisco’s provider mobility business — a $650 million business — as well as the growing AI sector of the organization.
Prior to embarking upon her professional journey, Ms. Sawhny prepared herself through a strong education, starting with a bachelor’s degree in commerce, business and economics from the University of Calcutta, formerly Calcutta University. In 2004, she obtained a Master of Arts in marketing and management communications from the Convergence Institute of Media Management and IT Studies in India. Subsequently, Ms. Sawhny earned a second Master of Arts in marketing, PR and crisis communications from Michigan State University in 2008. Furthering her credentials, she was certified in product marketing from the Pragmatic Institute.
Beyond her career, Ms. Sawhny is a loving mother to a 10-year-old son. She enjoys exercising, competing in chess, swimming, singing, dancing, traveling and playing sports such as tennis, basketball, badminton, Ping-Pong and pickleball.
Eager to continue utilizing her significant experience in marketing and technology, Ms. Sawhny hopes to make the Forbes Top 50 Chief Marketing Officers list in the future. Alongside her future endeavors with Cisco Systems Inc., she aims to become a teacher, ideally at her alma mater, Michigan State University. Ms. Sawhny recognizes the importance of preparing the next generation for success and is committed to sharing her knowledge.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Ms. Sawhny: