💫 Meet The Team - Kevin Milla

Get to know the Zevero team with our latest “Meet the Team” series. Meet our growing team, hear about their journey to Zevero, and understand what drives them.

What inspired you to work in the decarbonising business?

Where I grew up, there was always an emphasis on conservation of resources, whether it be energy or water. I lived on an island in the Pacific where these resources were all very scarce. We definitely needed to avoid wasteful usage of electricity, treated water, and any materials or else our livelihoods on the island would be at risk. 

At the time, there were no decarbonisation courses or baseline knowledge to learn at school because it was clear that good resource management encompassed the bulk of what mattered to the community. As I became more exposed to how the world works, it was clear that growth and progress often (but not always) came at the cost of exploitation of our planetary resources. When I chose my own career, I wanted to help resolve this unsustainability; really it’s a tragedy of the commons.

Decarbonisation has really become the it-word in corporate talk these days. In my opinion, deep down, decarbonisation means effective energy, water, and waste management. So in a roundabout way, I was truly inspired to be in the business of decarbonising because I am a keen advocate of natural resource management!

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What do you enjoy most about your role at Zevero?

I enjoy seeing the possibilities of where an agile platform like Zevero could make a difference. Speaking to companies and hearing about where they see obstacles in their own journey is music to my ears because it feeds into more of the actual work we do, which is building a world-class decarbonisation tool that businesses would happily use.

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Tell us one small thing that makes your day better

I think an honest hour of exercise makes my day better. Good way to get more energy throughout the day and apparently it also helps you sleep better at night.

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What’s your favourite quote?

Oh! Just last year VPOTUS Harris said this gem: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” …Very existential.

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If you had to recommend one thing to read, watch or listen to, what would it be?

I would love for more people to listen to The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder. I love listening to media where I learn something directly from the experts, so this is such a great podcast that has been my source for sustainable energy insights.

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What was your first job?

My first job was with a bus company in my college town. I scanned bus tickets using a barcode scanner attached to an iPod touch, put up ads around the university campus, and got free bus rides all over the Chicagoland area.

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Where can we find you on a Sunday morning?

You can find me at a Dim Sum spot eating steamed and fried Cantonese fare. Maybe if you catch me earlier in the morning I’ll be on the treadmill earning (a fraction of the) calories associated with the brunch.

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What would be your specialist Mastermind or trivia subject?

I’m confident I could probably sweep a Beatles trivia night at most pubs. I will caveat that it’ll have to be Beatles lore rather than music theory.

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Your favourite Zevero project or task so far

Happy to say that my favourite task is on-going, and it is guiding and mentoring my team on how to do product carbon footprints. I believe it is my job as senior manager to set my team up for success. With the expertise we’re building in-house, this means we are setting up our clients for success too.

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