Meerah Rajavel: Rising Above Challenges in Tech

Meerah Rajavel, Chief Information Officer at Palo Alto Networks, shares her journey in the tech industry spanning almost three decades. Born and raised in Tamil Nadu, she got married at 20 after completing her engineering degree. Despite early marriage being common in her community, Meerah’s passion for technology was unwavering.

After moving to Bengaluru with her husband, she faced prejudice while job hunting due to her marital status. However, her husband’s support kept her motivated. She started her career as a programmer at Lotus Infotech and later joined Infosys in 1996. She then moved to California with her husband and embarked on a diverse career with IT giants like Cisco, McAfee, Forcepoint, and Palo Alto Networks.

A technologist at heart, Meerah believes in using technology to achieve outcomes for humanity and society. Cybersecurity became her focus, and she leads a 1,000-member team at Palo Alto, responsible for technology infrastructure.

Throughout her career, Meerah viewed challenges as opportunities rather than roadblocks, emphasizing the importance of risk-taking and learning from failures. She acknowledges the gender disparity in tech leadership and highlights the need for system support and guidance.

Being a mentor, Meerah Rajavel believes in joint learning with her mentees, encouraging curiosity, openness to diverse perspectives, and continuous learning.

Her journey is a testament to rising above obstacles in the tech world, and she inspires others to embrace challenges and pursue their passions.
Re-reported from the article originally published in Your Story