Philippe Courtot Family Trust

About Philippe Courtot Family Trust

Philippe Courtot was a prominent executive in enterprise software and cybersecurity, best known for his long leadership at Qualys, Inc. He joined Qualys as chairman and CEO in late 2000 and formally became CEO in 2001. At Qualys, he helped define the company’s core strategy: building a cloud platform that could scan networks globally and deliver security and compliance services through a subscription model. Under his leadership, Qualys became a recognized market leader, and the company went public in 2012. Courtot stepped down as CEO in 2021 for health reasons after roughly two decades guiding the business. Before Qualys, Courtot had already led several technology and industrial companies through major growth stages. He served as president and CEO of Verity, a content search and knowledge management company, and led it through its initial public offering in 1995. He also headed Signio, an electronic payments company that he repositioned toward secure online commerce payments before its acquisition by VeriSign. Earlier in his career, he worked in the medical sector, including as CEO of Thomson-CGR, and he founded cc:Mail, which he built into a widely adopted email platform before selling it to Lotus. His career reflects a consistent pattern of scaling high-growth businesses, repositioning technology platforms, and executing successful exits. He also contributed to industry governance and advocacy, including service on the Internet Society Board of Trustees, the TechAmerica board, and the Cyber Security Industry Alliance. His legacy at Qualys is closely tied to the rise of cloud security, disciplined product execution, and a strong emphasis on helping organizations manage digital risk.