# Bill Burns

> Bill Burns is the chief executive officer and a director of Zebra Technologies, a role he assumed in March 2023 after joining in 2015. His career spans sales and executive roles at Tellabs, leadership of Spirent Communications and Embrane, and product strategy at Zebra. His current work centers on connected frontline workers, asset visibility and automation; he also serves on Oshkosh Corporation’s board.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Zebra Technologies
- **Organizations:** Zebra Technologies, Oshkosh Corporation, Embrane, Spirent Communications, Tellabs
- **Education:** Associate degree in Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Misericordia University, Master of Business Administration, Temple University
- **Known for:** Appointed the third CEO in Zebra’s history in March 2023., Led Zebra’s product and solutions portfolio before becoming CEO., Previously served as CEO of both Spirent Communications and Embrane.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2004** — Held sales and executive leadership roles at Tellabs, including EMEA leadership and global marketing.
- **2004** — Joined Spirent in November.
- **2008** — Appointed Spirent Communications group CEO on November 6.
- **2014–2015** — Served as CEO of Embrane before Cisco acquired the company in April 2015.
- **2015** — Joined Zebra as senior vice president of Enterprise Visibility and Mobility.
- **2018** — Became Zebra’s chief product and solutions officer.
- **2023** — Became Zebra CEO and a director, effective March 1.
- **2024** — Joined Oshkosh Corporation’s board effective July 23.
- **2025** — Zebra completed its approximately $1.3 billion acquisition of Elo on September 30.
- **2026** — Skild AI acquired Zebra’s Robotics Automation business; Zebra received cash and an equity stake.

## Achievements

- Appointed the third CEO in Zebra’s history in March 2023.
- Led Zebra’s product and solutions portfolio before becoming CEO.
- Previously served as CEO of both Spirent Communications and Embrane.
- Appointed to Oshkosh Corporation’s board in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Zebra reported second-quarter net sales of $1.557 billion, up 20.4% year over year, with organic net sales growth of 9.2%, and raised its full-year outlook.
- **2026-04** — Skild AI acquired Zebra’s Robotics Automation business; Zebra received cash consideration and an equity stake.
- **2025-09** — Zebra completed the Elo acquisition on September 30.

## Links

- Website: https://www.zebra.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wjburns

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bill-burns
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21