Title: Author, Advisor, and Fractional Chief Technology Officer
Company: www.michellanglois.us
Location: Orinda, California, United States
Michel Langlois, Author, Advisor and Fractional Chief Technology Officer at www.michellanglois.us, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements and leadership in the Software Technology Industry.
Mr. Langlois has established a distinguished career spanning more than four decades in the technology sector, earning recognition as a leading authority in network operating systems and protocols for enterprise, service provider and broadband networks. His expertise encompasses large-scale software development across embedded, hosted, cloud and artificial intelligence or machine learning systems. Throughout his professional journey, Mr. Langlois has demonstrated exceptional skill in managing distributed engineering teams and refining development and testing processes at scale.
Most recently, Mr. Langlois served as the chief technology officer at Calix from 2014 to 2024, where he was instrumental in transforming the company into a software-focused enterprise. This strategic shift positioned Calix to capitalize on the surge in demand for home network access during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant increase in company valuation. Mr. Langlois also served as the company’s chief development officer of products and strategy between 2017 and 2022. His leadership was pivotal in guiding the organization through bold changes that aligned with evolving industry needs.
From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Langlois served as a senior vice president at Junos Software, a division of Juniper Networks. During those five years, he revitalized the engineering organization by rebuilding processes, addressing quality concerns and establishing a foundation for sustainable growth.
Mr. Langlois’ earlier career at Cisco Systems, which spanned from 1994 to 2007, was marked by significant milestones. As the company’s senior vice president of network software and system technology group between 2005 and 2007 and senior vice president of network engineering and chief of staff for the software group from 2007 to 2008, he played a critical role during a period of recovery following the dot-com crash. Mr. Langlois remained with Cisco for nearly a decade after the downturn, helping rebuild the company as its revenue dropped dramatically from $50 billion to $18 billion within two months.
Hired by Cisco as a manager of the IOS kernel and portability, Mr. Langlois was promoted to director of IOS engineering, then senior director of Internet Advanced Architecture. From there, he served as the vice president of IOS engineering, leading the pioneering team that developed the Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS). This software became the most widely deployed networking platform in the industry and was recognized as one of the top 25 inventions of the century in 2012. The enduring success of Cisco IOS stands as one of Mr. Langlois’ proudest achievements.
Before joining Cisco Systems, Mr. Langlois held several leadership positions at Eicon Technology between 1990 and 1994, beginning as a research and development technical manager and senior developer and then as a research and development director, manager and project manager. Earlier in his career, he worked as a technical leader at Consortel Inc. after beginning his professional journey as a scientific staff member at Bell Northern Research in 1985.
In addition to his executive roles, Mr. Langlois has contributed as an angel investor and fractional chief technology officer, providing strategic guidance on building software stacks and protocols essential for carrying data, voice and video traffic across the commercial Internet. He has held senior executive positions, such as head of product, head of technologies and chief development officer for Fortune 500 networking vendors, with deep experience in mergers and acquisitions due diligence and company integration.
Mr. Langlois’s academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Canada, earned in 1985. This rigorous education provided him with critical analytical skills that have underpinned his ability to innovate within complex technological environments throughout his career.
In addition to his work in the field, Mr. Langlois has served on the advisory board of the Technology Executives Club, reflecting his commitment to advancing industry standards through collaboration with peers. Passionate about sharing knowledge, he published “Beyond the Code: Unveiling the Human Factor in Technology Leadership Innovation” in January 2025. The book chronicles three years spent driving high-performance teams and fostering innovation in Silicon Valley’s dynamic landscape. Additionally, Mr. Langlois delivered a TEDx talk on innovations in Riga in the first quarter of 2025, amplifying his insights into leadership and adaptation in rapidly changing industries.
Mr. Langlois’ professional accomplishments have been widely recognized. In 2022, he was named among the Top 12 Software Chief Technology Officers in the country. Mr. Langlois was also a six-time recipient of Cisco Pioneer Awards for Innovation and received multiple industry awards for Product of the Year in the networking category.
Inspired by his father’s lessons about honoring commitments and maintaining integrity, Mr. Langlois leads by example. He attributes his success not only to technical acumen but also to his capacity for problem-solving without a safety net and to earning the trust of team members whom he often regards as more knowledgeable than himself.
Looking ahead, Mr. Langlois aims to share his story broadly while seeking opportunities where his expertise can help organizations or individuals reach new heights. Whether through board service, consulting or another full-time role, he remains committed to sharing the knowledge gained over four decades, emphasizing collective effort over individual heroics, and providing fresh perspectives that empower others in the technology sector.
For more information, please visit:
Book “Beyond the Code” at Amazon.com
Contact Mr. Langlois:
Your message has been sent
