Director and Vice Chairperson of the Board, Co-Founder and former Chief Operating Officer, Okta
Frederic Kerrest is the Vice Chairman and co-founder of Okta and has been a director since July 2009. He served as Okta’s Chief Operating Officer from 2009 to November 2023, during which time he was responsible for Okta's day-to-day operations and worked with employees, partners, and customers to deliver on our vision of freeing everyone to safely use any technology. As a key member of management, Frederic helped set corporate priorities to drive success for Okta and our customers. He oversaw corporate strategy, corporate development, strategic partnerships, and Okta’s social impact arm, Okta for Good.
Prior to Okta, Frederic worked in sales and business development at Salesforce.com, and in venture capital at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners.
Frederic is the author of Zero to IPO, a Wall Street Journal-bestselling guidebook to building startups based on his own experiences, as well as those of some of the world’s most successful and recognizable entrepreneurs. The book was an outgrowth of his award-winning podcast of the same name, which features Silicon Valley founders, investors, and entrepreneurs sharing insights from their experiences building businesses. He advises early-stage software companies and serves as a Member of the MIT Corporation Visiting Committee for the Sloan School of Management.
Frederic earned a B.S. in computer science from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. in entrepreneurship and innovation from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was the recipient of the 2008 MIT Patrick J. McGovern, Jr. Entrepreneurship Award..
