Ovidiu Pena is the Founder and CEO of OVIX Group, an entrepreneur who, together with his team, is building a Romanian ecosystem of integrated HVAC, ventilation, and building automation solutions, with the goal of transforming complex technology into smart comfort that is simple to control.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence to capture the attention of someone who has never met you?

Ovidiu: I am an entrepreneur who started in traditional building installations and is now building, together with the OVIX team, an ecosystem where heating, cooling, ventilation, and automation work as one integrated system that is simple for the customer to use.

C&B: Looking back, what has been the common thread guiding your professional journey?

Ovidiu: The common thread has been the desire to transform a technical need into a clearer and better experience for the customer. I started with a local installation business, where I learned firsthand what it means to deliver quality work, how costly a wrong decision can be, and how essential trust is.

The second turning point came when we shifted from simply selling equipment to integrating complete systems. I realized that a high-performance heat pump, a ventilation system, or an automation solution alone cannot create comfort. Real value appears when they are designed and managed together.

The third stage is the one we are building today: OVIX as an ecosystem for energy and comfort in buildings. We opened the OVIX SmartRoom in Otopeni so people can see and test the technology instead of just reading about it in a proposal. Throughout all these stages, one question has remained constant: how do we make complex things easier to understand, buy, and use?

C&B: What was a difficult moment or failure that truly changed you?

Ovidiu: The most difficult moment in business came in 2022. Starting in 2020, we had built a team and an infrastructure largely based on the exceptionally high demand in the post-pandemic construction market and the results generated by online marketing. The business was growing, but the organization behind it had not developed at the same healthy pace.

We still lacked sufficiently clear processes, functional systems, well-defined roles, and a CRM filled with accurate data. When the number of contracts began to decline, we were left with a structure generating very high operating costs, and the losses became significant. That was when I realized that high demand can temporarily hide an organization’s vulnerabilities, but it cannot solve them.

I had to reduce the team to a minimum, drastically optimize expenses, and find new ways to attract customers because online marketing had become extremely expensive. In essence, I had to reinvent both the business and the organization. The lesson that stayed with me is that you should never build only for today’s market, but also for the moment when demand decreases. Sustainable growth requires solid processes, accurate data, clear responsibilities, and systems that can scale.

C&B: What is a bold or counterintuitive decision that significantly influenced your trajectory?

Ovidiu: The decision to invest in a technology showroom and in an import, distribution, and integration structure at a time when the market was calling for caution. The easier alternative would have been to remain a traditional HVAC contractor and equipment reseller in a business we already knew well and that was generating revenue.

Instead, we decided to open the OVIX SmartRoom in Otopeni and expand our portfolio of heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation systems, and automation solutions into an integrated platform. The risk was twofold: the financial investment itself and the effort required to educate a market where many products are still sold separately, without a unified approach.

At this stage, the most important outcome is not only commercial. We have created a place where customers, developers, architects, and designers can clearly understand how an intelligent and energy-efficient building actually works. This decision supports OVIX’s new direction: becoming a systems integrator and a trusted partner for builders, architects, and designers across Romania, rather than simply an equipment supplier.

C&B: How have you changed over time as a leader and as a professional?

Ovidiu: In the beginning, I led through presence and control. I wanted to personally verify many things because I believed that was the safest way to protect the company’s standards. Over time, I realized that excessive control slows talented people down and makes them wait for the leader’s answer instead of developing their own judgment.

Today, I try to lead more through context, objectives, and accountability. We hold recurring sales meetings, monitor performance indicators, and discuss not only the final results but also the activities that generate them. Under pressure, I try to separate what is urgent from what is truly important and avoid automatically transferring my own stress to the team.

This does not mean I have become a leader without high standards. I am still strongly focused on pace and results. The difference is that I now understand sustainable performance is not achieved by expecting people to operate at their limits all the time, but by building a system where they know what they need to do, why it matters, and how progress is measured.

C&B: What do you think the people who work directly with you would say about you beyond your public image?

Ovidiu: I believe the people who work closely with me would say that I am committed, ambitious, and able to spot opportunities before they become obvious. They would probably also say that I raise the standard and that, when I believe in a direction, I mobilize a great deal of energy around it.

However, they have also told me things that were harder to hear. Mircea pointed out that not everything revolves around me and that, at times, I am too focused on my own perspective rather than on the people around me. His message was that I should listen more and make decisions by genuinely respecting other people’s opinions. Vali told me that he needed me to trust him more and to make decisions affecting him based on concrete information and real data, rather than solely on how I felt in the moment.

That feedback helped me understand that entrepreneurial intuition is valuable, but it should never replace listening, data, and trust. I am working on providing more context, giving managers real decision-making space, and avoiding the mistake of confusing involvement with the need for control. To me, maturing as a leader means being able to hear things that do not confirm your self-image and turning them into meaningful behavioral changes.

C&B: What truly differentiates the way you build and lead?

Ovidiu: I don’t believe differentiation comes from claiming that we have better products than everyone else. Many companies can sell high-performance equipment. The difference we are trying to build at OVIX lies in integration: heating, cooling, ventilation, and energy management should all be designed together from the very beginning of a project.

In practice, this means we do not start with the question, “Which equipment do you want?” Instead, we begin by understanding how the building will be used, the level of comfort the client expects, the overall budget, and the long-term operating costs. Then we combine consulting, design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance into one coherent journey.

The SmartRoom in Otopeni perfectly reflects this approach. Customers can see how the systems communicate with each other and understand the difference between a collection of devices and a truly integrated home. Our promise—“Smart comfort. Simple to control.”—is not just a slogan; it is the standard by which we evaluate every solution.

C&B: How has today’s environment—technology, AI, the economy, and new ways of working—changed the way you operate?

Ovidiu: AI has transformed the speed at which we analyze information and the way we structure it. We use it for research, marketing, proposal analysis, process documentation, and decision preparation. However, we have established one important boundary: AI can accelerate judgment, but it cannot replace it where technical, financial, or human responsibility is involved.

At the same time, the economy has forced us to become more disciplined. Customers now compare the initial investment, operating costs, and payback period much more carefully. That is why we have shifted the conversation away from products and toward transparent scenarios that explain energy consumption, compatibility, maintenance, and risks.

Within the business, we have accelerated CRM digitalization, pipeline measurement, and proposal standardization. Technology helps us accomplish more, but the real advantage comes when you improve the process itself rather than simply adding another tool to an unclear way of working.

C&B: Is there a habit or routine that has significantly influenced your performance?

Ovidiu: My professional routine is built on discipline and consistency: weekly management meetings, reviewing performance indicators, documenting company processes with the help of AI, and setting and tracking monthly objectives. These habits help us move decision-making away from assumptions and toward facts, allowing us to correct our direction before problems become major ones.

On a personal level, I begin every morning with 30 minutes of meditation and personal reflection—in other words, I start the day with myself. I strive to remain calm regardless of how important or stressful a decision may be because I know the best decisions are made when I am not reacting under pressure.

I combine reading digital content with reading books. Digital media gives me quick access to information, while books broaden my thinking and creativity. In the evening, I set aside another 30 minutes to reflect on the day. Beyond these routines, my faith in God gives me the strength and balance I need to overcome difficult moments.

C&B: What principles guide your most important decisions?

Ovidiu: I use three filters. The first is real value for the customer: are we solving a problem or simply adding complexity? The second is execution capability: do we have the people, expertise, and resources needed to deliver at the promised standard? The third is long-term relevance: does this decision move us closer to the company we want to build, or does it only generate short-term revenue?

These principles were tested when we decided to invest in systems integration, a technology showroom, and new product portfolios, even though it would have been much easier to continue focusing exclusively on traditional HVAC activities. We accepted a more challenging path because it aligned with our long-term vision. At the same time, I learned that vision must be implemented in stages. Not every good opportunity needs to be pursued immediately.

C&B: How do you see your industry evolving over the next 3–5 years?

Ovidiu: Over the next few years, buildings will increasingly be evaluated as integrated energy systems rather than as a collection of separate pieces of equipment. The electrification of heating, heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, photovoltaic generation, energy storage, and intelligent energy management will become one unified ecosystem.

The greatest opportunity lies in integration. Property owners do not want five different apps and five different suppliers shifting responsibility from one to another; they want comfort, predictable energy consumption, and a single, reliable point of coordination. At the same time, the greatest risk is the rushed sale of technologies without proper design and sizing. A high-performance piece of equipment installed within a poorly designed system can generate significant costs and undermine confidence in the entire category.

I believe the winners will be the companies that combine technical expertise, data, service, and the ability to explain complex concepts in a simple way. The traditional HVAC installer will not disappear, but the role will evolve into that of a systems integrator and energy consultant.

C&B: What role do you aim to play in that evolution?

Ovidiu: I want OVIX to become a regional benchmark for integrating energy and comfort solutions in buildings. We are building an ecosystem that brings together consulting, design, equipment, installation, automation, commissioning, and maintenance.

Over the coming years, we plan to scale this approach through strategic partners, standardized processes, installer training, and easily replicable solutions for homes and residential developments. Our ambition is not simply to sell as many individual devices as possible, but to increase the number of buildings that operate as coherent and energy-efficient systems.

My role is to maintain the direction, attract the right people, and build an organization capable of carrying this vision forward without depending on a single individual. If OVIX becomes truly relevant, it will be because of a team that has learned how to transform vision into execution.

C&B: What practical advice would you give to someone who wants to build something meaningful today?

Ovidiu: First, talk to customers before you fall in love with your own solution. Many months and significant amounts of money are wasted building products or services that the market does not consider urgent.

Second, measure the activities that drive results as early as possible. Revenue and profit are delayed outcomes. Leads, response time, proposals, follow-ups, and conversion rates reveal much sooner where the process is breaking down.

Third, build your team and your processes before they become an emergency. I learned that a founder can temporarily sustain growth through personal effort, but cannot scale a business sustainably that way. Relevance comes not only from having a great idea, but from executing it consistently.

C&B: What is an uncomfortable truth about your industry that very few people talk about?

Ovidiu: One uncomfortable truth is that, in the HVAC industry, equipment is sometimes sold before the building itself is properly understood. Customers receive products with excellent specifications, but not necessarily a system that will perform well in real-life conditions.

A heat pump, a ventilation unit, or an automation system cannot compensate for poor design, a building with significant energy losses, or careless installation. Moreover, the lowest price in a proposal can ultimately become the highest cost over the system’s lifetime.

The second uncomfortable truth is that true integration requires taking responsibility. It is easy to sell each component separately and blame another supplier when problems arise. It is much harder—but far more valuable—to view the building as a complete system and continue supporting the customer after installation. That is where I believe the real difference will be made between companies that merely participate in the energy transition and those that genuinely drive it.

The transformation of a local business into a comprehensive ecosystem of intelligent building solutions is the central theme of this interview with Ovidiu Pena, Founder and CEO of OVIX Group. From the lessons learned during challenging times to the role of artificial intelligence, HVAC systems integration, heat pumps, and building automation, the interview offers valuable insights into the future of the industry and demonstrates how leadership, innovation, and well-designed processes can generate sustainable growth.

The post Ovidiu Pena, CEO of OVIX Group: “The future of smart buildings lies in the integration of energy, comfort and automation.” appeared first on careers-business.com.