The company, based in Toledo, Ohio, USA and Brussels, Belgium, serves customers around the world. Clients include Purdue University, Corning Inc, Owens Corning Inc, Energy Star Industries Program of EPA, California Energy Commission, US Department of Energy, MVV Energie AG, a major European utility and engineering company.

From mid 2000 until early 2003 he was vice-president of Strategy and Business Development at Owens Corning.  This role encompassed the $5Bn of Owens Corning total business with a key focus to accelerate the development of an integrated strategic approach for the company.  The overall goal was to reverse market share erosion, create breakthrough improvements in returns on investment, and simultaneously create focused market and productivity breakthroughs.  This required not only rigourous business plan development; it also needed a structured approach to developing new skills, leadership processes and overall operating culture.  The development of the strategic architecture for the company focused equally on both, and after more than a year in preparation has been put in place and is being implemented. This has already spawned a new business offering a broad range of new residential services to the North American homeowner and an acceleration of the development of a new Automotive Solutions business.

His immediately prior position at Owens Corning was as vice-president – Strategy and Business Development - Composites Systems Business.  Owens Corning Composites is the world’s largest manufacturer of engineered fibreglass used in a wide variety of material systems serving the buildings, automotive, electronics, recreational and other industries. Many of these markets are undergoing radical change resulting from the combined impacts of globalisation, demand for integrated solutions and deepening price pressure.  He led a team to develop an integrated strategy for this $1 Billion business, and to lead the formation of new businesses aimed at developing value beyond the basic fibreglass in selected target markets.  Four such businesses have been formed. Responsibilities also included leading Market Development Centres in India, Brazil, China, Europe and the USA, and Division wide responsibility for business development.

Throughout his time at OC, he was also the senior management sponsor for a unique energy management program - Energy Mission: Possible.  This is aimed at substantially reducing the $260Million energy cost of the company, at the same time improving the environmental performance.  The program focused on simultaneously investing in energy efficient upgrades, engaging employees in better day-to-day energy practice, and buying better.  The overall initial goal was a 20% cost reduction, a target that has long since been exceeded.  The programme has been widely recognized globally as a benchmark of a commercially and environmentally sound approach to industrial energy management.  In 2001, Owens Corning was of the five global companies to receive the “Cool Company” awards from the Packard Foundation. Prior to joining Owens Corning in Toledo in 1998, he ran a consulting business in Brussels Belgium.  This business provided consulting services to companies and utilities in the USA and Europe, and the US Government in the energy services business arena.  Activities covered the USA, Eastern and Central Europe, Indonesia, India and Brazil.  He was also a senior consultant to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation. During this time he developed the plans for municipal district energy businesses in three Polish cities. Peter Garforth also worked Landis & Gyr (now part of Siemens Building Technologies) in Switzerland, where, as senior VP of Strategy, he was instrumental in developing a market focused business approach in the company’s Building Control business, and was subsequently appointed to be responsible for driving the overall strategic transformation of the company.  During his time at Landis & Gyr, he was also responsible for establishing energy services based business in four central European countries. Peter has always had a major interest in promoting energy efficiency as a profitable business opportunity.  He was the co-chairperson of the International Advisory Committee of the Alliance to Save Energy in Washington, D.C., was a founding member of the European Business Council for a Sustainable Energy Future, and a member of the Steering Committee on Energy Efficiency Financing of the Russian Federation.  He has also served as Chairman of the International Institute for Energy Conservation. Garforth started his career at Hewlett Packard in the UK. He then joined Honeywell in Brussels, having a variety of marketing, business development and general management positions.  Whilst at Honeywell, he lived and worked in Belgium, Iran, Netherlands and the USA, in a variety of marketing, senior business development and general management positions.  In the 90’s he supported the development of strategies aimed at profitably increasing the efficiency of large-scale energy systems in buildings and municipal systems in central and Eastern Europe. Peter also serves on the board of Toledo Opera and is vice-Chairman of Downtown Toledo Inc, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the development of Toledo. Garforth earned a degree at the University of Manchester in Electronic and Electrical Engineering. Peter also serves on the boards of Toledo Opera and is vice-Chairman of Downtown Toledo Inc, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the development of Toledo

Selected Career Highlights
(From most recent..)

Corning Inc – Global Energy Management Initiative
Senior Consultant to corporate energy team to develop a worldwide approach to integrated energy management with the goal to achieve breakthrough productivity gains, enhanced supply security and greatly reduced climate change and other environmental impacts – started 2005 - ongoing
Energy Master Planning for mixed use developments
Advising on the development of energy master plans for large area mixed use (residential/commercial) developments in South Carolina, California, Tennessee, New York, and Ontario.  In all cases, the goal is to achieve breakthrough energy and greenhouse gas reductions consistent with commercially viable development
Preliminary Energy Master Plan for large residential development in Davis, California
Senior consultant to prepare preliminary energy master plan for 1500 home Californian residential development to achieve breakthrough energy and greenhouse gas reductions – 2003 - ongoing
Energy Star Industries – US Environmental Protection Agency
Consultant to the program director aimed at developing CEO level commitments from major companies to develop and implement energy efficiency plans aimed at improving competitiveness of US industry and supporting voluntary efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – started 2004 - ongoing
Purdue University – Visiting Professor
Delivering lecture series “Business and Economic Aspects of Energy – A Global View” aimed at improving the decisions making skills around energy.  Students are from industry, graduate and under-graduate levels and from a wide range of disciplines – started 2004 - ongoing
Owens Corning - Corporate Strategy
Leader of the development of integrated strategic approach to achieve breakthrough results for entire $5Bn corporation business portfolio – started 2001 completed 2003
Owens Corning - Energy Mission: Possible
Programme designer and senior management sponsor of integrated approach to energy cost and efficiency throughout Owens Corning’s global operations.  An ongoing, award winning, programme started in 1998.
Owens Corning Residential Services Strategy
Facilitated development of completely new residential services business, including future, performance based energy services concept.  Successfully rolled out in 2001.  Business continues on rapid expansion path.
Owens Corning Automotive Solutions Strategy
Led creation of breakthrough approach to serve the market for innovative material solutions in the global automotive industry.  The strategy responded to the cost and environmental pressures in the market place.  Included joint ventures developments in India and Netherlands.  Successfully rolled out in 2000.  Business continues fast, profitable growth.
Energy Efficiency Financing Strategy – International Finance Corporation
Senior consultant to develop a new approach to financing energy efficiency services incorporating new vendor structures and performance based models  for the IFC – Completed 1997
Municipal Heating Services Business Plans – Polish Cities
Senior Business Advisor to MVV Energie AG (German Municipal Utility) developing city wide utility plans for electric and thermal energy distributions for Polish Cities. 
Commercial Distributed Energy Plans – India and Indonesia
Senior consultant to Bechtel developing integrated distributed energy supply and efficiency plans for Hotels and Shopping Malls in Bombay, Delhi  and Jakarta – 1996-97
Evaluation of Energy Efficiency Market Opportunities in Ukraine and Republic of Georgia in a post communist world
Senior consultant for US and EU financed projects to evaluate the market development opportunities in two post-communist markets – competed in 1996/97
Strategic Corporate Transformation – Landis & Gyr (now Siemens)
Responsible for leading corporate transformation team to reorient traditional manufacturing to service and performance based businesses – successfully completed 1995
Head of Residential Business – Landis & Gyr
Responsible for $400M business unit supplying building controls and utility management systems around the world.  Successfully expanded business to include major contribution from changing municipal and residential markets in central and eastern Europe - 1994
Evaluating Integrated Information and Energy management Business Approaches
Led Landis & Gyr participation in large scale pilot in Walnut Creek California teamed with PG&E, Microsoft and Cable Company – 1994-5
Head of Building Control Strategy – Landis & Gyr
Responsible for developing realignment of Commercial Buildings Systems business to performance based market approaches.  Successfully initiated the first ever performance energy rehabilitations of major commercial buildings in Czechoslovakia and Poland
Honeywell
Numerous energy related business development roles in industrial, commercial, residential and municipal energy environments.  Included projects and management assignments in many countries including Western and Eastern Europe, USA, Japan, China and India - 1980-92