Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) appointed Girish Rishi to its board of directors, effective October 9, according to a company statement.

Rishi currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cognite, an industrial AI company. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to Blackstone and has been a board member of Insight Enterprises since 2017.

Before joining Cognite, Rishi was Chief Executive Officer of Blue Yonder, a supply chain management software and consulting services provider. He previously held executive roles at Tyco International, Zebra Technologies, Motorola Solutions, and Symbol Technologies.

Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, commented on the appointment: "He has helped many of the world's most complex organizations and industries harness the power of data and AI. His expertise will be invaluable as Cisco provides organizations around the world with the critical infrastructure required to lead in the AI era."

Rishi holds a master's degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from the University of Hartford, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Mumbai. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an executive board member of the Arizona Commerce Authority.