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Getting to know Persefoni: Meet Katie Blum

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Updated: 
April 14, 2023
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Published: 
November 29, 2021
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Katie and her horse
By: 
Katie Blum / Persefoni

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

Looking back, I never had a great understanding of what I wanted to make of my career, but I decided to follow in the footsteps of my dad and pursue my Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. Taking the road less travelled, I found myself consulting CFO’s on how to improve their finance function by way of people, processes, and technology. It was through this work that I realized I wasn’t fulfilled with the “impact” I was making and needed to look for something more. While I didn’t have a background in climate change, I had always been very involved with my firm’s sustainability and broader ESG efforts. It was through conversations with my network, further education, and opportunities such as attending the One Young World Summit that I was able to make the jump into the world of climate SaaS startups. First leveraging my background to help develop the methodology for a sustainability reporting platform, one thing led to another, and I found myself talking about the ins and outs of climate accounting with some of the incredible people I’m now fortunate enough to call my colleagues.

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

As a member of our Climate Solutions team, much of my role involves supporting our customers by way of my technical knowledge across the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) standards and broader sustainability topics. This includes understanding how our technology can best meet the needs of our customers as they begin to engage with the platform and what they’ll need to ensure continued success in the years to come. Every day I’m able to make an impact across our customers' climate journeys, be it evaluating which areas of their operations they’re able to report on given standard or data quality limitations or helping them understand how to interpret our analytics. Being so involved with our customers' use of the platform, I am also responsible for bringing my understanding of their needs and experiences to other teams to further develop the platform and guide the direction of our future offerings and features.

Katie and Michael
Katie and Michael

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

Now more than ever, climate change is being recognized as a key business risk and/or opportunity, yet it continues to be inconsistently accounted for (if at all). During my time at Persefoni, I hope to see the platform recognized as one of the very reasons these inconsistencies cease to exist. The direction we’ve set on – enabling every organization and person with the technology to positively impact the health of planet Earth – has already seen us through some pretty amazing “places”, and I’m so excited to see where we head next!

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

What sets Persefoni apart, without a doubt, is the people I get to work with. Since joining the team, there has yet to be a day passed that I haven’t learned something new or been inspired by someone’s ideas, knowledge, and general awesomeness. Be it taking the time to check-in, teach you something new, or opening their home to you when finding an apartment seemed impossible, there is an unparalleled sense of camaraderie imbedded in everything they do. It’s always been important for me to be in a place of continued growth, and where better to be than surrounded by some of the best in every way!

Competing for Canada
Competing for Canada

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

I recently found myself making the move from Toronto to Chicago with my two senior cats (don’t ask me how that drive went), so much of my time is spent exploring and eating my way around the city. Whenever I get the chance, I love to escape the hustle and bustle and seek refuge in my most trusted place of bliss, the saddle. While I am no longer competing, I still have the two horses who saw me through my most competitive years, Carnell and Zam Zam. When I’m not at the barn, my partner and I love to travel and spend time with our family and friends. While Saturdays are for college football (go Dawgs!), you can usually find us checking out real estate, hitting up a new coffee shop, planning our next trip or cycling/running to offset our latest restaurant find.

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“Once in a Lifetime" is a series of articles designed to help our customers and partners learn more about Persefoni's truly passionate team. We're not just building award-winning software ... together, we're helping to decarbonize our planet.