François Locoh-Donou

François Locoh-Donou has had an extensive and diverse work experience. François is currently serving as the President and CEO of F5, a position they have held since April 2017. Prior to that, they worked at Ciena, where they held various roles including Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of the Global Products Group, Vice President and General Manager for Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Vice President of International Sales, and Vice President of Global Marketing. During their tenure at Ciena, they oversaw significant growth and expansion, driving revenue and profit, improving operating leverage, and leading successful rebranding and marketing initiatives. Before joining Ciena, François co-founded Cajou Espoir, a cashew-processing facility in rural Togo, where they acted as Co-Founder and Chairman. In addition, they serve as a Board Member for Capital One since March 2019.

François Locoh-Donou received a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Physics Engineering from Centrale Méditerranée in 1994. François then pursued a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Optical Communications from Télécom Paris in 1995. Finally, they earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2002.