1. And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" (Tell us your journey?)
I grew up and have spent most of my life in Tokyo Japan, a city that has largely contributed to global warming, where there is a limited amount of nature, and the streets are full of artificial constructions and automobiles. I was fortunate enough to have a chance to study at a high school in Denver, Colorado, attend graduate school in Portland, Oregon, and work at a record store in Vancouver, British Columbia in my youth - Beautiful cities surrounded by mountains and great nature. All those experiences made me appreciate the way of living in a quiet and green environment.
Regarding my career, I worked for global tech companies such as Google and Amazon and engaged in digital advertising businesses, where I learned a lot from my colleagues, clients, and business partners. I was so lucky that throughout my career I experienced various functions including product and project management, sales, marketing, training, etc. If I were to restart my career from the beginning with my current knowledge and expertise, I would still follow the same path – I fully enjoyed all my professional journey in the past.
Because I did not have a sustainability background in both academic and professional settings, I did not expect myself to engage in the climate tech industry. However, meeting with Persefoni and learning about the global climate crisis completely changed my views and made me realize that ‘Environment + Technology’ is a theme that I must explore and address. I feel that I meant to be where I am at now.
2. And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. (What do you do at Persefoni?)
Leveraging my various professional expertise and experiences, I wear multiple hats and work on several projects for the Japan market, but my main mission is to make sure that we continue to develop our platform in a way that meets our local customer needs and inform the market as to how we can solve their challenges/grow their opportunities related to Carbon Accounting. My chore list includes gathering local product/feature asks, planning marketing events, etc., but for every single task that I manage, I work together closely with local customer-facing teams, global colleagues, and/or business partners, which makes me truly feel that I am a part of one universal team. The other aspect of my mission is to keep developing and evangelizing the great ‘One team’ culture inside and outside Persefoni as Global Warming is a gigantic agenda that none of us can address and fix alone. What do I do at Persefoni? I am making small steps with my global colleagues and business partners, which will eventually make big positive impacts on Earth.
3. And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" (What are your hopes for your time at Persefoni?)
My personal objective is to become and continue to be a professional who can support companies to identify hotspots of greenhouse gas emissions and reduce their footprints. In that context, Persefoni is a great place to learn how to identify hotspots based on data, calculation methodologies, relevant market trends, and such. Additionally, my desire is to get connected with as many people in the industry as possible, who share the same vision: To make positive impacts on environment for the next generations. I am the father of two children, and my private mission is to secure healthy and safe living environment for them. Ever since I started working at Persefoni, I have been feeling myself being a better father than ever. I am hoping that Persefoni will keep making me feel that way.
4. And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?" (Why is Persefoni a great home for you?)
Persfoni is one big, family-like organization. Although the company is getting larger and I work remotely (and never met in person) with the majority of Persefonites, I feel that I've known most of my global colleagues for a long, long time. To be more accurate, I feel like they are my old friends, cousins, or even brother and sisters. Kentaro Kawamori, CEO of the company, is my great brother who keeps encouraging and motivating me. Kim Stroh, a co-founder of the company, is my sister who is always thoughtful and considerate. Keith Denham, EVP, is too young to be my father, but he is definitely my father who always understands me and praise my small accomplishments. My family list is too long to list all here, and I know that everyone at Persefoni has his/her own yet similar family list. Such strong bonds among employees keeps Persefoni strong and united across region, department, and all levels of an organization.
5. And you may find yourself in another part of the world... (Tell us about your life/hobbies away from work?)
I am a DIY maniac who loves to create something from scratch. I make furniture, fruit liquor, rice, and the list goes on and on. I recently ended up buying a land, separately from a regular home, to build my own garage (or so-called “DIY paradise”) and a private camping ground, where I usually spend my weekend and often invite my friends to spend time together. Creating process brings me opportunity to learn new things, meet new people, and stimulate my curiosity and desire to learn even more new things (and hence, the endeavor never ends). My DIY spirits directly relates with the motivation for my current work as well – Working at Persefoni to me is nothing but a large-scale journey of creation. Theoretically, I have been and will continue to build things 24/7. That is pretty much my life.
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