Meet Sustaira: Matteo

Here at Sustaira, we get to know all of our employees very well and we want you to know them too! For every new team member, we ask them the following questions to learn about who they are and why sustainability matters to them. Today, we introduce Matteo Timmermans. Read Matteo’s interview below and enjoy!

Where is home for you?:  

I’m originally from the Netherlands and currently live and travel in Asia!

What made you decide to join the Sustaira team?
For me Sustaira provided the opportunity to work in an organisation that leverages technology for a better and cleaner world. I am passionate about nature and sustainability, so that was a perfect match for me. It feels great to be working on something you believe in. Also I am excited to be at the heart of such an ambitious company and to help to build it even further. Most of all though I was convinced by the incredible positive energy of the team. Everyone I talked to was genuinely excited about what they were doing and that made me immediately want to be a part of Sustaira.

What is your role at Sustaira? 

I’ll be working as a Mendix developer. In this role I will be responsible for building the platform, but also for implementing the solutions we build into our clients IT infrastructure.

What does sustainability mean to you?

To me sustainability means having awareness of the impact of your actions and constantly trying to make the right decisions. This can be done by the smallest acts like helping another person or spending your money on a durable and eco-friendly product. Furthermore it is about sharing this with each other. We can get further by sharing knowledge and inspiring other people to start making the right decisions as well. If we all start taking little steps and help each other improve I am convinced that we can make the world a better place.

Where do you believe technology meets sustainability in your vision?

I think technology is finally what gives us control over our sustainability. By using technology in the right way we can greatly improve our efficiency and waste less. On top of that, by leveraging technology we can gain insights into our efforts and we can see where we can improve the most and possibly even what we can do to achieve this. By investing in the right future technologies we are even able to shape the way we live and create a way of living where we can preserve nature.

Tell us a little bit about you! Just a couple of fun facts or something people may not know. What do you believe people need to know about you?

I grew up in Amsterdam but I am an avid traveller and have been moving around the world with my partner for a little over two years now. In my free time I love going out into nature and it has been amazing to be able to go hiking in so many different places.

Currently I am staying in Thailand where I am studying Thai boxing (Muay Thai) and Self-defence. I’ve discovered I have an odd talent for table tennis, despite having never practiced it before and I found out that I have severe issues with rope skipping. 

My dream is to one day buy a piece of land and start a small eco-farm while taking care of many (rescued) animals. I recently started fostering a cat (Moly) so I might have found the first inhabitant already!