Meeting with the CEO that left me stunned

Before you read my exceptional case, let me give you some background: My journey at Qualys began in 2018 as TSE. It wasn’t just an occupation; it was everything to me. It’s been a long road to get to where I am today. But I am proud to see the growth I’ve sought in all these years, and I still aspire to keep growing. This article has a piece of my heart as I want to share with everyone how grateful I am to Qualys for such memorable incidents being my first employer.

As a part of Qualys, I always have a bundle of opportunities that challenge me and nudge me towards proving myself. Good for me, as I always want to do something that would make both me and my company proud. My goal is clear: to be the best version of myself at work.

Fast forward three years. While work was on track, something unexpected happened. On a regular Saturday morning, I received an unusual message on Teams asking if we could meet on the coming Monday. It came from none other than the CEO, Sumedh Thakar!

I was terrified. My mind was racing with questions and doubts about why he would like to meet. What was it about me that drew the CEO’s attention? Is it possible that I made a huge blunder?

On second thought, I was excited. Meeting the CEO of the company you are working for is a rare occurrence! I was feeling a jumble of emotions.

I gathered all my courage and, without asking much, said, “Yes.”

Regardless, I had to wait until Monday.

When the day finally arrived, my heart was pounding. With all my conscience, I stepped into the CEO’s cabin. First, just seeing him in person overwhelmed me. Then he stepped forward to greet and welcome me. What a humble personality!

His gesture eased me in seconds. He instilled confidence in me by encouraging me to lay my cards on the table. Thus, I gave in to this golden opportunity.

Unable to contain myself, I began by telling him how excited and nervous I had been all weekend at the prospect of meeting him. Also, because I didn’t know if I’d see him again, I flushed out every idea and thought I had about my work. I told him about my plans to contribute to the company’s growth. Furthermore, I explained how I am constantly improving my skills in order to make the most of my position. I am extremely grateful to be working at Qualys, and I wanted to express this to him with all my heart.

I was also eager to hear his advice to ensure that I left no stone unturned in ensuring our company’s future success. I shared with him every thought and every plan I had for Qualys. I was so engrossed in it that I lost track of time. He did not cut me off in the middle of the conversation. He paid close attention to what I said and made me feel valued.

After expressing myself, I settled down and started listening with all my ears. Of course, the very first thing he explained that he had arranged this meeting to get to know me as a person. And he wants to hear my vision and goals for Qualys.

I gathered the courage and asked the question that was nagging at me the entire time, “Why did he choose me?” What he said next, got me in tears.

As an individual who cares for Qualys more than anything, he has been monitoring my work and my progress since day one.

He figured out how passionate I was about my work through my attitude, discipline, and hunger to grow. He went through my LinkedIn profile and found the numerous certifications I was pursuing in cyber security, attending conferences, and posting significant updates about Qualys that too long back when I wasn’t active much on this platform!

Furthermore, he read my posts that shared my opinions and knowledge about the industry, and he was impressed.

He was proud that I, being a junior level employee, showed the dedication to the company that many people fail to.

As a leader who always believes in encouraging talent, he chose to meet me to appreciate my efforts.

After listening to him, I was thrilled. He took out time from his busy schedule only to acknowledge my efforts. I was overjoyed! I felt proud — all my hard work over the years had finally paid off. That was a day to remember — November 27th, 2021.

On another note, I want to emphasis what I experienced. Sumedh is not your typical CEO — a grumpy, no-nonsense individual. What I felt is that he is as cool as you or me! Friendly, approachable, and a calm mind with excellence!

I have learned that Sumedh, although being a CEO, cares for his employees and always treats them with respect, sensibility, and warmth.

Sometimes, life puts you in situations where you have to let go of things dearer to you in pursuit of something you dreamed of. A few days ago, I was in a similar situation, and I had to make that hard decision.

Today, I feel extreme pain to share that I am discontinuing my journey with Qualys. But I will never forget what the company has given to me, especially at times when there was no other helping hand.

Likewise, the meeting with the Sumedh will always remain in my heart.

Because I have had the privilege of working here, I strongly encourage all cyber security enthusiasts to either start or advance their careers with Qualys, a leading security firm. As an ex-employee, I assure you, once you’re a part of the family, Qualys will always have your back.

If you are interested, head to Qualys’s career page and take the plunge.

I will always be proud to have started my career with Qualys. And I’m sure you will be proud too, when you start working here.

Here is my blogpost talking about How I survived until I reached Qualys