Bob Fox sits down with Ray Milora, Senior Director of Workplace Design & Construction at Cisco, to unpack what actually brings people back: leadership presence, purpose, and friction-free hybrid tech—not excessive amenities.
Ray shares how Cisco’s single-platform removes meeting pain, and how space can close sales and attract talent, and how he’s using AI to turn briefs into visuals in hours, not months. Ray Milora leads workplace design & construction at Cisco, helping teams rethink hybrid space, integrate technology, and leverage AI to accelerate workplace strategy.
What You’ll Learn
- Why leadership—not amenities—drives office attendance
- How Cisco’s unified tech stack eliminates meeting friction (and why that matters)
- A blueprint for activating space (leader Q&As, earnings huddles, learning events)
- How space becomes a business tool: talent attraction and sales impact
- AI for workplace strategy: convert a conversation, create the brief, share the visuals, obtain ROM pricing quickly.
- Rethinking metrics: beyond badge rates to problem-solving, speed, career development & culture
- Portfolio “right-sizing” and building flexibility without tearing down walls
Meet Ray Milora
At Cisco, he’s leading our efforts to redefine the purpose, use and experience of the Workplace by engaging leaders throughout the company, and employees wherever they are. We’re looking beyond design, focusing on needs, thus uncovering how space can be a tool for achieving business, team and individual goals underpinned by the breadth of Cisco technology and Services.
The common thread throughout his career is design, with a formal background in Graphic Design. He has nearly 30 years of focused, and passionate experience in applying the principles of User-Centered Design to the creation of software, Services and Workplace Experiences.
Key Moments
01:30 – Intro: Is the problem space or leadership?
03:07 – Ray’s GSK story: from resistance to 90%+ show-up
05:45 – How leader presence changes attendance & growth
07:00 – “Activation” tactics leaders can run this week
10:18 – Inside Cisco’s hybrid stack: one platform, zero friction
13:05 – Rooms that “just work” (no 15-minute tech setup)
15:26 – Space as a business tool: hiring & closing deals in Atlanta
20:36 – Using AI to turn words into visuals—overnight
24:30 – From brief → render → ROM pricing in ~2 weeks
35:00 – The metrics that matter now (and what to drop)
37:45 – Portfolio strategy: less space, more bespoke gatherings
41:00 – Writing better briefs; the “EQ sliders” model
43:28 – Why most RTO white papers miss the point
49:42 – Where to start: top-down clarity before “workplace strategy”
Credits:
- Created & Directed By Bob Fox
- Produced By Work Design Studios
