Getting to know Persefoni: Meet Keith Denham

1. And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" (Tell us your journey?)

Growing up, my parents always made sure that family vacations were special. We didn’t have a lot, but they usually were drawn to the mountains, and driving to Colorado was the most common trip. Often, my father and I would take longer hikes up a peak in the Rockies and occasionally the beauty and energy of the millions of white-barked Aspen trees with golden leaves would cease, replaced by miles of black stumps and ash. Those early memories of the power of wildfires were vivid. And while I certainly wasn’t plotting how I would forge a career that helped measure and manage climate impacts 30 years later, those impacts have stayed with me. After a career full of fortune to work with some of the biggest companies, colleagues, and executives, I decided I wanted to focus on taking action in sustainability more completely than my diverse consulting experiences had allowed. And a couple months ago, a company with an Action Orange logo came calling!

2. And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. (What do you do at Persefoni?)

I have three roles at Persefoni. I’m the VP & GM of Enterprise Solutions. Secondly, I’m leading our Channel Strategy globally, teaming with some of the best consultants and tech companies in the world. And finally, I’m the global executive focusing day-to-day on our Japanese operations. I’m honored to tackle any of these exciting opportunities but working with Japan has been so rewarding in my early days at Persefoni. My first foray into Japanese business was over 20 years ago, and I love the culture. With regulation forcing the biggest 3,000 companies to disclose their carbon emissions publicly starting this spring, it’s a race to get ready. We’re starting with some of the biggest companies as customers and partners. There’s a tradition called “nemawashi” which literally means turning the roots. It's an incredibly important concept in which you lay the groundwork for a proposed project. The discussions we’re having now (nemawashi) with some of the biggest entities in Japan will set us up perfectly to be the dominant platform to support this aggressive compliance deadline and allow Japanese companies to assertively manage their decarbonization in the coming years.

3. And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" (What are your hopes for your time at Persefoni?)

We’re at a critical crossroads in which the tools companies are using are incredibly immature and the stakes are going to increase rapidly through regulation, capital market and consumer pressures. Our highway has to lead the world’s companies to a destination that quickly closes the gap on reporting/accounting, but positions them for the complexities of rapid decarbonization.

4. And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?" (Why is Persefoni a great home for you?)

Between the co-workers and colleagues that I’ve worked with at clients all over the world, I’ve worked with some really great people. However, at Persefoni I feel like we’re attracting the best in the world, AND we’re all motivated by a purpose-driven mission... people here are really great to work with!

5. And you may find yourself in another part of the world... (Tell us about your life/hobbies away from work?)

I love to ski, spend time with my family and travel. I have a house in New Hampshire that’s my special place in the White Mountains to escape. You’re all invited!