Cisco Gives Legal Chief 27% Pay Hike as a Leader Among Peers

Cisco Systems Inc. said in a proxy filing late Tuesday that its chief legal officer Deborah “Dev” Stahlkopf earned more than $15.8 million in 2025, keeping her in the ranks of top paid corporate legal leaders in Big Tech.

Cisco disclosed that most of Stahlkopf’s pay package, which represents a roughly 27% increase from the nearly $12.5 million in total compensation she earned the year prior, was comprised of $13.3 million in stock awards. Stahlkopf also received almost $2.4 million in cash. Her annual base salary will increase slightly to $750,000, as of Nov. 1, according to Cisco’s proxy.

Stahlkopf and Cisco didn’t respond to requests for comment. The company is the largest manufacturer of machines used to run computer networks and the internet, putting it at a crucial technology intersection in the age of artificial intelligence. Cisco is releasing a new chip and networking system for data centers that could challenge industry giants like Broadcom Inc.

Stahlkopf is a former general counsel at Microsoft Corp., where she had a key role in legal industry-focused diversity and inclusion initiatives. She joined Cisco in 2021, succeeding the San Jose, Calif.-based company’s longtime legal chief, Mark Chandler, who retired after two decades in the role. Stahlkopf’s initial pay package to make the move to Cisco from Microsoft was valued at $13.3 million.