Getting to know Persefoni: Meet John Jukes

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

Born in LA, but growing up in London, I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to a charity boarding school which I attended all the way through to Uni. Getting to know people from a wide range of backgrounds had a large impact on me as well as extra-curricular opportunities I couldn't have imagined elsewhere. We also got to look incredibly cool in a uniform from the 16th century including yellow socks, breeches and a long blue coat!

After school, I studied History at King’s College London and got a job as a headhunter focussing on the global construction consultancy market. A few years later I moved to my grandparents' place in the Poconos where I had spent my summers growing up. After a couple more external recruiting jobs and meeting my future wife we moved to Northern PA where I started working as an internal field recruiter for Chesapeake Energy supporting their Northeast expansion. Over a 10 year stint I moved into a HR Generalist role and then moved to OKC becoming an HR Business Partner supporting a range of functions. After Chesapeake I moved to VA for a HR Business Partner role at Flowserve, a global controls manufacturer. I had been cheering Persefoni on from the sidelines since inception and was thrilled to get the call-up!

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

I am a Director, People Operations at Persefoni and am very lucky to co-lead People Operations with the legendary Courtney Reynolds. My primary areas of responsibility are Compensation, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, People Data/System/Processes and supporting our international expansion. On any given day it could be working on an international move, compensation structures, processes, people data strategy, talent communities, and a myriad of other things.

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

I am excited for the real change in the world that Persefoni can make and that is driven by our incredible talent. With a company that truly lives by its Core Values and Operating Principles, it is critical that we maintain this and our high talent bar as we continue to scale. Working to build a scalable POps function that delivers solutions grounded in data and engagement is a huge opportunity for the team. There have been many times in my career thinking of what things ‘could’ be and not having the support or empowerment to realize them. Here we get to try and iterate until we get it right!

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

One of the many things I love about being here is the opportunity to interact with Persefonites globally and am continually impressed by our talent density. This is my first time working remotely as I was going into the office through the pandemic. Thanks to offsites and the highly collaborative nature of our work, it has not been as difficult as this sometimes extravert feared. I am one of those people that loves Slack as a way to absorb information; it has actually helped me to be more deliberate with my time, both connecting and disconnecting. We have a relaxed, friendly, fun and high-performing team which I love.

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

My wonderful wife, our beloved dog Jules, and the cats currently live in Virginia which allows us to spend a lot of time outdoors. I recently turned 40 and the team generously bought me a voucher to New Balance as all know my favorite pastime is to mow my grass while listening to fantasy audio books. I love to fish and especially fly-fish which I spent entire summers doing in PA growing up. Once inside, I love to cook, consume sci-fi/fantasy, and the occasional bit of gaming. Growing up in Twickenham (English rugby HQ) I played rugby through Uni and am an avid follower of Harlequins and England. I actually just got back from a trip home where I watched England play New Zealand less than a mile from where I grew up.

Travel has been a core part of my life as my family has always been blended and spread out across the US, UK, and beyond. Mum is now outside London with my step dad and I love to head home whenever I can to see friends and family. My Dad lives in Kenya with my Kikuyu step mum who has been a large part of my life since I was 10. I love visiting and the perspectives gained are always transformative after every trip. Beyond family we look forward to traveling more and I’m pushing for NZ, AR and IS (nothing to do with fishing…).