Jhilmil Kochar, Managing Director, CrowdStrike India
Jhilmil Kochar’s journey with CrowdStrike has been an exciting one. As the company’s managing director for over six years, she oversees its entire operations and functions. She also leads the innovative group, which is focused on Industrial Control System (ICS) cybersecurity.
Venturing into the realm of ICS security products has been one of her most memorable assignments. It represented a fusion of two worlds: her prior experience with the internet of things (IoT) and her expertise in delivering cybersecurity products. She believes this made the assignment even more interesting, as it involved various processes, from in-depth research to dissecting the competition and developing a unique approach to address the challenges of ICS security.
On the trends she foresees in the cybersecurity sector, Kochar says, “We foresee an increased emphasis on zero trust architecture to secure modern environments and continued integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for threat detection.” She also expects supply chain security, ransomware threats and regulatory compliance to remain critical areas of focus. However, she believes that India will be well-equipped to counter these cyberthreats by embracing advancements and implementing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies.
Kochar has nearly three decades of experience in leadership roles with growing tech organisations, where she devised product business strategies and fostered environments where talent thrives. She also has extensive experience in leading mid-sized India product development centres for IT multinationals across disciplines such as engineering, research and development, quality assurance, product management, human resources, administration, operations, finance, and IT. She has also led India development centres for WMS, which was later acquired by Scientific Games, and Solidcore, which was acquired by McAfee.
Kochar follows an inclusive and collaborative management style. She does so by working closely with her team, fostering transparency and upholding high standards of integrity. “We achieve our goals more effectively by leveraging the diverse perspectives and talents of our team members,” she says.
She has a strong academic background in electronics and telecommunications, with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Jodhpur University and a master of technology degree in electrical systems engineering, with a specialisation in communication and radar engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. Her family consists of her husband, her son and daughter in law.
