(January 14, 2026) Raised in a middle-class household in Pune, Sumedh Thakar’s education and early experiences as a coder eventually led him to Qualys, one of the world’s earliest cloud-based cybersecurity companies, founded in 1999 by Philippe Courtot and headquartered in Foster City, California.
After more than two decades under Courtot’s leadership, Qualys entered a defining new chapter in 2021 when Sumedh became President and CEO, succeeding the founder himself. Today, Qualys serves over 10,300 customers across more than 130 countries, securing enterprises, governments, financial institutions, and critical digital infrastructure at a truly global scale.
Its vast footprint across cloud security, compliance, vulnerability management, and risk operations makes Sumedh Thakar’s rise not just a personal success story, but a leadership transition of global consequence. In India alone, Qualys plays a silent yet critical role in protecting the digital backbone of everyday life, from Aadhaar-linked biometric identity systems to high-volume UPI payment platforms.
Flashback to roots, values, and the power of knowledge
Sumedh grew up in Pune in a Maharashtrian household where hard work and continuous learning were deeply valued. “My parents always emphasised the value of a good education and encouraged curiosity. From a young age, these values were drilled into me. My father always said, ‘Wealth can be lost, but knowledge can never be taken away from you.’ That focus on education and knowledge formed the basis for my worldview,” he remarks in a chat with Global Indian.
There was aspiration even in his name. “‘Su’ means good, and ‘Medha’ means knowledge. My parents had high hopes that I would grow up to be wise and knowledgeable,” he reminisces. He pursued a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science at the Savitribai Phule Pune University and graduated with distinction in 1997. Those formative years built discipline, problem-solving skills, and a deep curiosity about how systems worked.
Over the last two decades, he has witnessed how digital transformation has democratised access to banking, identity, and services in countries like India, Brazil, and Spain, but alongside opportunity came a sobering realisation that none of it works without trust. “I remember my father hesitating to adopt internet banking when it first emerged because he worried his password would get compromised and his savings wiped out,” he recalls.“That moment made me realise how fragile trust is in digital systems. It set me on a path to focus on securing the technologies that future generations would depend on,” he says.
Early career setbacks and lessons in resilience
His first professional role involved developing pricing logic for an airline reservation system, ironically at a time when he had never taken a flight. He began his career at Patni Computers in Pune and, like many young engineers of his generation, aspired to work in the United States. In 1999, he moved to the U.S. with just a hundred dollars in his pocket and immense hope. The timing was brutal. The dot-com bubble burst, and the company he joined shut down. “That setback taught me resilience and the importance of not giving up during tough times,” he says.
Finding purpose at Qualys
In 2003, Sumedh joined Qualys as a software engineer, at a time when the company was already recognised as one of the earliest software-as-a-service security vendors globally, addressing the growing need for automated vulnerability detection. His decision was not driven by a master plan. “It was simply an opportunity that came my way,” he admits.
Over time, he grew with the company, becoming Vice President of Engineering and later Chief Product Officer, helping expand Qualys’ platform across vulnerability management, compliance, cloud security, and continuous monitoring.
In 2021, following founder Philippe Courtot’s decision to step down after two decades due to health reasons, Thakar became President and CEO, marking a rare transition where leadership passed directly from founder to long-serving insider. “The journey taught me resilience, the power of teamwork, and the importance of listening when leading. Each step prepared me for the responsibility I carry today,” he says.
Under his leadership, Qualys has strengthened its cloud-native security platform, launched the Enterprise TruRisk Platform, expanded partnerships with global players such as IBM, BT, Dell SecureWorks, Verizon, Fujitsu, and Wipro, and leaned into AI-driven risk operations across more than 130 countries.
Adapting to change across cultures and continents
Landing in Minnesota from Pune was a shock, especially in the depths of winter. “I remember having to cross a frozen lake to get to the office,” he recalls. Starting over meant adapting to a new culture, navigating layoffs, and learning to speak openly about failure, something rarely discussed back home. “Back then, getting laid off wasn’t something you spoke about openly in India. In our culture, failure tends to stay with you. But I learned that the lessons you take from failure, and staying humble as you grow, matter far more,” he says. Those lessons continue to shape how he leads Qualys today.
A long road built on small steps
Looking back, his journey feels like a series of incremental steps rather than one dramatic breakthrough. Coming to the U.S. with limited resources and eventually becoming CEO of a publicly listed global cybersecurity company was not something he imagined. “Hard work, curiosity, and perseverance can open doors you didn’t know existed,” he says. Interestingly, he never aspired to be CEO. He simply kept doing what felt right for the company and its customers, unafraid to take on new responsibilities. Qualys, in turn, gave him the space to explore engineering, product, marketing, support, and operations, shaping him into a well-rounded leader.
Hands-on leadership in a trust-driven industry
Even today, Sumedh Thakar remains deeply engaged with technology. “One thing became clear to me early on: technology succeeds only when people trust it. Cybersecurity isn’t just a layer of protection. It’s the foundation that enables digital life to function,” he says. Under his leadership, Qualys launched the Risk Operations Center, bringing together security insights from multiple platforms into a single, actionable view of risk.
In India, that trust operates at an extraordinary scale. Qualys helps protect the biometric data of over 1.4 billion Aadhaar holders, securing the world’s largest biometric identity system, and safeguards major fintech players operating on UPI, enabling millions of daily transactions that power India’s financial inclusion story.
Balancing leadership, values, and the future
As CEO, Sumedh Thakar takes pride in representing India’s spirit of perseverance on a global stage. “Growing up in an extremely competitive environment shaped my ‘never give up’ attitude,” he says. “When you go from one peak to another, you must pass through a valley.”
His mother remains a powerful source of inspiration, having returned to university later in life to earn a PhD, reinforcing the belief that it is never too late to learn or evolve. The teachings of Sadhguru have also influenced his approach to clarity and balance. Today, his focus is firmly on the future, leaning into agentic AI, autonomous risk management, and rethinking security architectures for a hyper-connected world. “I challenge my teams to rethink workflows and operating models for AI-native execution,” he concludes. And in that challenge lies the full arc of his journey, from a boy in Pune shaped by caution and curiosity to a global leader securing digital trust at planetary scale.
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