# David Goeckeler

> David Goeckeler is chairman and chief executive officer of Sandisk. A former software developer who began his career at Bell Laboratories, he previously led Cisco’s networking and security business and served as Western Digital CEO from March 2020 to February 2025. He oversaw Western Digital’s separation and moved to the independent flash-memory company, while also chairing the U.S.-Japan Business Council.

- **Role:** Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Sandisk Corporation
- **Organizations:** Sandisk Corporation, Western Digital Corporation (former CEO), Cisco Systems (former executive), Bell Laboratories (early career), ADP (director), U.S.-Japan Business Council (chair), Semiconductor Industry Association (2025 chair; board member), University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering (Board of Visitors)
- **Education:** BS in computer science and mathematics, University of Missouri-Columbia, MS in computer science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA Program, University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University
- **Known for:** Led Cisco’s $34 billion networking and security business and a global team of more than 25,000 engineers before moving to Western Digital., Oversaw Western Digital’s separation into independent HDD and flash companies., Received the University of Illinois 2025 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in computer science.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Began his career at Bell Laboratories; worked as a software developer.
- **2012-2014** — Vice president of product and platform engineering at Cisco.
- **2014-2016** — Senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s security business.
- **2016-2017** — Senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s networking and security business.
- **2017-2020** — Executive vice president and general manager of Cisco’s networking and security business.
- **2020-03** — Became Western Digital CEO, effective March 9.
- **2023-10** — Western Digital announced its board-approved plan to separate HDD and flash businesses.
- **2024-10** — Became chair of the U.S.-Japan Business Council on October 11.
- **2025** — Served as chair of the Semiconductor Industry Association.
- **2025-02** — Became Sandisk CEO as the flash business separated; independent Nasdaq trading began February 24.

## Achievements

- Led Cisco’s $34 billion networking and security business and a global team of more than 25,000 engineers before moving to Western Digital.
- Oversaw Western Digital’s separation into independent HDD and flash companies.
- Received the University of Illinois 2025 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in computer science.
- Elected 2025 chair of the Semiconductor Industry Association.
- Received Frost & Sullivan’s Excellence Award for Engineering Operations in 2012; listed among CRN’s Top 25 IT Industry Disrupters in 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — On August 27, Kioxia and Sandisk announced anticipated Japan investments exceeding $31 billion through 2032, contingent on government support.
- **2026-08** — Presented as chairman and CEO at Sandisk In Focus: Investor Day 2026 on August 13.
- **2026-08** — Sandisk reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $20.248 billion on August 5, with datacenter revenue up 437% year over year.
- **2026-06** — Led a U.S.-Japan Business Council delegation meeting Japanese economic officials on June 25.
- **2026-01** — Sandisk and Kioxia extended Yokkaichi joint-venture agreements through December 2034 and aligned Kitakami to the same date.

## Links

- Website: https://www.sandisk.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgoeckeler
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DavidGoeckeler
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxUCfLatS2RNZmCt4TEsKNw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidgoeckeler/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidgcisco

---

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