Xerox (Rochester, NY) CEO Anne Mulcahy met with a group of printers in Chicago, February 4th, to share her insights on driving results in today’s economy. “Keep customers close,” she said, emphasizing the printer’s role as a customer’s business partner, who can prove invaluable during difficult times.

On the importance of keeping focused on business fundamentals, she shared a story from her early experiences at Xerox. She met with Warren Buffett during that similarly difficult economic time, and he asked about Xerox’s main strengths. Its people and relationships ranked highest in Mulcahy’s estimation. She said he told her to focus on that, ignoring everything else, and she would be successful. “And that’s exactly what I did,” she said. Mulcahy was named one of Fortune Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women” in 2008. Chief Executive Magazine named her 2008’s “CEO of the Year.”

A member of President Obama’s Transition Economic Advisory Board, Mulcahy shared some of the advice she had for the new administration. “Focus on the middle class, and on doable projects such as building infrastructure.”  She emphasized Xerox’s commitment to green technology, and stressed the importance of governmental support for sustainable, ecofriendly manufacturing practices.