# Michael Tessler

> Michael Tessler is the co-founder and former president and CEO of BroadSoft, the cloud communications software company acquired by Cisco for approximately $1.9 billion in 2018. Based in Austin, Texas, he is now a managing partner at True North Advisory, where he helps technology businesses develop strategy and scale, and serves as a director of Guident.

- **Role:** Managing Partner at True North Advisory
- **Organizations:** True North Advisory, BroadSoft, Cisco, Guident, Celcore, Nortel Networks, Bell Northern Research
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Science studies, Vanier College, Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical Engineering, McGill University, Master of Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, McGill University
- **Known for:** Co-founded BroadSoft and led it from startup through its 2010 IPO and 2018 sale to Cisco., Scaled BroadSoft to almost 2,000 employees serving customers in more than 80 countries., Built a carrier-focused distribution model for cloud communications software.

## Career timeline

- **1989-1992** — Senior manager at Bell Northern Research, according to his XING career history.
- **1992-1996** — Director at Nortel; worked on advanced services for carrier networks.
- **1996-1998** — Vice president of engineering at Celcore; met future BroadSoft co-founder Scott Hoffpauir.
- **1998** — Moved to the Washington, DC area and co-founded the business that became BroadSoft.
- **2003** — BroadSoft held its first Connections customer and partner event, with approximately 175 attendees in Tessler’s recollection.
- **2010** — Led BroadSoft through its June initial public offering.
- **2018-02** — Cisco completed its acquisition of BroadSoft for approximately $1.9 billion; Tessler subsequently led Cisco’s Cloud Calling Business Unit.
- **2020-03** — Ended his BroadSoft/Cisco journey after approximately 21 years.
- **2020-04** — Became a managing partner at True North Advisory.
- **2020-11** — Announced his move to Austin after 22 years in the Washington area.
- **2025-08** — Guident publicly announced his appointment to its board on August 19; a subsequent filing lists director service beginning June 30, 2025.

## Achievements

- Co-founded BroadSoft and led it from startup through its 2010 IPO and 2018 sale to Cisco.
- Scaled BroadSoft to almost 2,000 employees serving customers in more than 80 countries.
- Built a carrier-focused distribution model for cloud communications software.
- Co-founded True North Advisory to help technology companies scale.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Appeared in a UK Investor Magazine interview about his Guident directorship and autonomous vehicle safety.
- **2025-09** — Featured in the September 11 launch episode of Binary to Billions, discussing the BroadSoft journey and his advisory work.
- **2025-08** — Guident announced his appointment to its board of directors on August 19.
- **2024-03** — Discussed AI adoption opportunities for communications providers ahead of Cloud Connections 2024.

## Links

- Website: https://www.truenorthadvisory.us/the-team/michael-tessler
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltessler1

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-tessler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27