Vivek Ponnada

Commander
DISC Type : D

SVP Growth & Strategy at Frenos

Houston, Texas, United States

Overview

Vivek Ponnada is the SVP of Growth & Strategy at Frenos, leveraging extensive global experience in OT and critical infrastructure cybersecurity. An MBA graduate from UT Austins McCombs School, he is recognized for his expertise in control systems and holds ISA/IEC 62443 and GICSP certifications. Colleagues describe him as energetic, knowledgeable, and an enthusiastic sales leader.

Vivek is a prominent voice in the industrial security community, frequently speaking at industry conferences and contributing to collaborative projects. He is passionate about bridging the cybersecurity skills gap and actively participates in organizations like ISACA and ISA to advance the field. His career began hands-on as an Instrumentation Technician before moving into engineering and leadership.

Unique fact: Vivek is the co-lead for the "Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices" project, a community-driven initiative to improve the security of industrial control systems.

Personality Overview

Impact-Driven

Decisive

Risk-Taker

More than the product, they care about the effectiveness of the product.  They like to act fast and expect others to do the same. They are very proud of what they do.

Topics They Care About

OT/ICS Security
His entire career is focused on OT security for critical infrastructure. He currently helps clients "Assess, Prioritize and Defend" their systems at Frenos.
Secure PLC Coding
He co-leads the influential, community-driven "Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices" project to create new security standards for industrial controllers.
Autonomous Assessments
His current role at Frenos, the "world's first Autonomous OT Security Assessment Platform", centers on advancing this technology.

Media Appearances

Vivek has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2025
SVP Growth & Strategy at Frenos
1-2025
Advisory Board Member at Cabreza
1-2025
Founding Faculty at CambiOS Academy
4-2023 - 1-2025
Technology Solutions Director at Nozomi Networks
1-2022 - 3-2023
Regional Sales Director at Nozomi Networks

Education

Master of Business Administration - MBA from Texas McCombs School of Business
Chartered Engineer (India) from Institution of Engineers of India (IEI), Kolkata

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 21 Location : Houston, Texas, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : SVP Growth & Strategy at Frenos
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Insights For Selling To Vivek

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Be respectful but crisp
  • Make sure that you circle back fast on any action items, it wins their trust
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk

DONT's

  • Avoid being too verbose
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Vivek is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Vivek

  • If they are not convinced, they will say no without any hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Vivek move?

  • They can take decisions very fast if you manage to convince them.
  • Can Vivek take some risk or not?

  • The risks don’t matter much to them.

You And Vivek

Personality Compatibility


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