Ken Denman grew up in a military family, moving frequently as his father served in the army. He became interested in entrepreneurship at a young age but pursued accounting to have a practical career. He worked at Battelle Memorial Institute before getting his MBA and joining US West Communications, rising to become COO of the wireless portfolio. He helped launch mobile phone companies in Europe through international joint ventures.
Returning to the US, Ken ran MediaOne’s cable business until its sale to Comcast. He then became an entrepreneur-in-residence at a venture firm, which led him to found several companies including iPass, which he took public. He later turned around OpenWave as CEO before selling a facial recognition software company he co-founded to Apple.
Ken currently serves on the boards of Costco, Motorola Solutions, and Sway Ventures. He gained his first board seats by taking a company public as CEO. He believes listening carefully and choosing when to contribute helps newer board members gain credibility and make an impact. Building relationships with fellow directors through one-on-one conversations also helps.
Though optimistic about board diversity progress, Ken worries economic factors may limit opportunities in the near term. He advises aspiring directors to clearly state their board interests, and to look beyond public boards at private, venture, and non-profit boards which can provide valuable experience and networking.
