Getting to Know Persefoni: Meet Steve Dagg

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

Growing up I was always close to the construction industry. Many members of my family worked in the sector and my Dad owned a roofing company in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. I went on to study Construction Management at Leeds Metropolitan University. A big focus of the course was on energy efficiency in buildings. Back in 2009 there was a growing acknowledgment of the impacts of Climate Change, from rising global temperatures, to increased flooding, but nowhere near the level of acceptance and action that we see today. One lecture struck a chord with me, in fact it was one sentence in one lecture. ‘The startling news that over 40% of global emissions are caused by the Built Environment!’. At that point I knew that I wanted to be part of the solution and set about trying to find a job in the sustainability sector.

My first role was at a then small consultancy called Carbon Credentials. I spent 8 years helping to grow the business, working on strategy, performance, as well as mandatory and voluntary carbon reporting across EMEA. I met some great people along the way, many of whom are good friends to this day. This year many of these people are celebrating 10 years working in sustainability. It makes me proud to see what ex colleagues, clients and leaders have achieved and are continuing to achieve in this industry.

I always enjoyed engaging in the world of sustainability whether it was playing a game of softball against the CDP in London or listening to any number of leaders speak passionately about the topic. Mary Robinson, Naomi Klein, George Monbiot, Bill McKibben and Christiana Figueres are a few names that spring to mind. Their passion for the subject was and is infectious. I would encourage anyone reading this to watch their recordings or track down their podcasts.After leaving Carbon Credentials I spent 2 years working for Technology companies. During this time I worked with DevOps professionals as passionate about their subject matter as I was about sustainability. Persefoni sitting at the nexus of climate change and technology made my move here an easy choice.

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

I am a Senior Sales Director at Persefoni working closely with our leadership team to develop and execute against the EMEA go-to market strategy, whilst engaging with the largest companies in Europe. I have always enjoyed helping different teams within any organization to get their heads around what can be a complicated topic. Our role as a technology company is about reducing the time spent on reporting so that our clients can focus on strategic decarbonization activities. We track and monitor progress to help them engage with internal and external stakeholders. This data has grown in importance to regulators, financial markets and boards across the world so our role is critical in driving performance.

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

My personal goal is to help as many companies as possible to hit their 2030 and 2050 decarbonization targets. If we are able to provide accurate and actionable data to our clients they can focus on reducing emissions throughout their businesses and supply chains. In 2050 I would like to sit down with my family and speak about what humanity achieved working together rather than how bad the climate crisis is.Kate Raworth (author of Doughnut Economics) talks about ‘needing a dashboard of indicators if we’re going to meet the needs of all people within the means of the planet’. For me this will involve business leaders and politicians having a clear line of sight on sustainability data. Clear reporting and increased transparency across all sectors is needed to achieve our global goals.

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

I have mentioned a number of sustainability luminaries throughout this blog. I feel blessed to work alongside people that I would include in this category. To see the work carried out by our Sustainability Advisory Board over decades, helping increase ambition and transparency is always inspiring.Another group that I draw inspiration from is our Product Team. Many of our clients know too well the pain associated with using spreadsheets to report carbon emissions. Our Product Team comes from some of the most technologically advanced companies in the world, they are using this experience to make GHG accountancy seem easy. It is exciting to see what they have been able to achieve in such a short time and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work on the market at large.

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

I live in Surrey with my Fiancé, Aisling and our cat Atlas. This year I have moved jobs, we are planning to move house and we are getting married so plenty to keep us busy. We have big plans for the new house including growing food, increasing insulation and installing renewables - oh how times have changed!Growing up I played a lot of rugby but I am now happy to stick to the golf course with some running thrown in for good measure

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