“What you’ve done particularly well is to help us craft ideas ahead of when they’ll be needed. Understanding the needs of potential investors/clients before they do is valuable.”
Mike Smith, RenewWest
“In addition to the obvious expertise in building a financially sustainable impact program, the thing I enjoy most about working with the GKS team is the opportunity for constant learning and growth–all offered with the utmost respect and patience to every individual at every level of our organization.”
Christine Cadigan, American Forest Foundation
“Helping RenewWest determine what to prioritize and focus on has allowed many other doors to open. Sean helps reduce the clutter and makes good connections.”
John Cleland, RenewWest
“Your work on the financial model for our program allowed us for the first time to chart a viable course to implement and scale the program. Before working with you, we had a good idea with no way to implement. Now we have a much more concrete road map.”
Nathan Truitt, American Forest Foundation
“In terms of overall perspective, he makes a good point that finance is always #1. And at the end of the day, borrowers always have to prove they can repay when seeking financing. I am surrounded by people who are passionate about what they do, which is often exciting and inspiring…. but I can see Mr. Penrith’s point in his statement, “If there are no payers, your program is dead in the water.”
Paige M., Masters in Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University College of Global Futures
“I really liked his input about trying to take well proven financial models and apply them to the climate and environmental funding.”
Lincoln S., Senior Undergraduate Student in Conservation Biology and Ecology, Arizona State University.
“I enjoyed hearing about Mr. Penrith’s background and his journey from electrical engineering to climate finance. I thought it was particularly interesting how he has observed that there is often a divorce between climate change advocates/sustainability professionals and financiers. The conservation people need to understand that for whatever product or service they are proposing there is going to be an expectation for performance and the impact on the bottom line. The financial investors need to understand the idea of the social impact of their investments.”
Adrian K., Masters Student, Sustainability Solutions, Arizona State University College of Global Futures.
“I thought Mr. Penrith’s frankness about finances coming before impacts and the intervention assets needing to have value, to be significant.”
Asya V., Masters Student in Sustainable Solutions, Arizona State University College of Global Futures
“I found Sean’s discussion about bringing climate mitigation specialists and conservationists together with funding opportunities crucial. He highlighted the importance of servicing the capital that these groups raise. He further raised key points in regards to funding for environmental organizations as well as environmental purposes.”
Dominique C., Masters of Environmental Resource Management Student, Arizona State University
“GKS brought clarity to what was previously difficult for us to define on our own. The goals and vision that we created will serve this program well beyond the next fiscal year, it helped us lay the foundation for a truly innovative program.”
Spencer Plumb, Conservation Finance Program Manager, National Forest Foundation
“Listen well. Know the carbon and impact investment space and bring much added expertise for us. You challenge us to think outside the box and use a well thought out process to tackle ideas. You are very well networked and those connections help you to see spaces that we have not even considered.”
Alicia Cramer, Sr. Vice President, U.S.Endowment for Forestry and Communities
“It’s been fantastic working with GKS. The IFNF grant program has benefitted from GKS’ big-picture strategic thinking, and ability to connect strategy to less exciting but equally as important tactical decisions. Of the many positives, I’ve most appreciated GKS’ willingness to re-think assumptions, respond to group feedback and/or research takeaways, and adapt accordingly. They recognize the importance of problem identification, take time to vet assumptions with a range of experts, and are constantly brainstorming new ideas and connecting dots across sectors. GKS brought subject matter expertise, open and questioning minds, and intellectual enthusiasm for big questions and solutions to their work with the IFNF team – it was fun!”
Nathalie Woolworth, Innovative Finance for National Forests grant program
