Former Honeywell Chief Sustainability Officer Evan van Hook Joins Viridi: 4 Things to Know

Battery and energy storage company Viridi has hired Honeywell veteran Evan van Hook as chief sustainability officer.

The newly created position at Viridi is designed to "advance core company values and to bring about a positive environmental and societal impact for the communities where its products and services are developed and deployed," the company said.

Here are four things to kniow about van Hook and Viridi's sustainability strategy.

1. Company Scope, Scale and Focus: Viridi, founded in 2009, is based in Buffalo, New York. The comoany designs and builds battery systems that offer energy storage, and assist the transition to renewable energy. Viridi technology involves a "fail-safe battery energy storage system providing on-demand, affordable power for use in industrial, medical, commercial, municipal, and residential building applications," Viridi says.

2. Funding: Viridi raised $94.7 million in Series C funding in late 2021 at a post-money valuation of $700 million. Tom Golisano’s Grand Oaks Capital led the round. National Grid Partners and Sunbelt Rentals also made strategic investments in the business. That funding round arrived a few months before tech startup valuation multiples reached historic highs in early 2022. We don't know the battery company's current valuation.

3. van Hook's Experience: van Hook previously was Honeywell's CSO, leading the company's Health, Safety, Environment, Product Stewardship & Sustainability efforts since 2004. During his tour of duty, Honeywell experienced a more than 90% reduction in greenhouse gases in its facilities and operations. In 2012 he was awarded Honeywell’s Senior Leadership Award. He is a graduate of Yale Law School. He has authored numerous articles on environmental topics, and is the co-author of International Environmental Law: A Case Study Analysis (Routledge 2019).

4. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement about hiring van Hook, Viridi CEO Jon M. Williams said: “Evan van Hook brings an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience to the Viridi team that will bolster our efforts to innovate the future of power. Sustainability is at the core of our work, and I can think of no one better suited to lead our efforts in this space. I look forward to partnering with Evan to build our sustainable energy solutions and transform the future of our company and the communities where we operate.”

Addded van Hook: “Viridi has quickly become a leader in the energy revolution, working at the forefront of efforts to create new, much-needed methods of safe energy storage. I’m looking forward to continuing this work by expanding the company’s commitment to providing environmentally friendly, forward-looking solutions and helping Viridi grow as a leader in sustainability.”

Viridi and Sustainability: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.

Side note: We are checking to see if Honeywell named a CSO successor for van Hook. Stay tuned for updates.