Start Campus has appointed Rita Monteiro as Head of Sustainability, effective June 2026. Monteiro brings extensive experience from Amazon, where she served as Head of Sustainability Japan from 2019, before leading the global Shipment Zero programme as Global Head of Net Zero Carbon — targeting 50% net-zero carbon shipments by 2030. She holds degrees in Human Resources Management and Organisational Psychology and began her career in 2008. Start Campus operates the SINES Data Campus, a 1.2GW facility in Portugal running on 100% renewable energy, founded in 2020 with ambitions to become Europe’s largest sustainable data ecosystem.
In-Depth:
Professional background and qualifications
Rita completed degrees in Human Resources Management and Organisational Psychology before starting her career in 2008 as a Human Resources Administrative Specialist. She has worked in Cape Verde, the Philippines, Thailand, the UK, the United Arab Emirates and Portugal.
She joined Amazon in 2017 as a Pathways Operations Manager. She later held roles as Senior Operations Manager and Principal Program Manager for Supply Chain.
In 2019, Rita became Head of Sustainability Japan. She led the sustainability strategy for Amazon Japan in this position.
Her responsibilities included external engagement strategy, piloting logistics programmes and developing a renewable energy strategy. She also worked on decarbonising facilities.
Rita then relocated to the United Arab Emirates as Global Head of Net Zero Carbon Program. She led Amazon’s global Shipment Zero programme, which aims to deliver 50% of Amazon shipments with net zero carbon by 2030.
From January 2025, Rita worked in the UAE as Principal Energy, Sustainable Buildings and Partnerships for the AMET and APAC regions. She was part of the global energy and sustainability teams at Amazon.
In June 2026, Rita started her position at Start Campus. She returned to Lisbon, Portugal after almost 10 years working abroad.
Data centre sustainability approach
Start Campus operates the SINES Data Campus, a 1.2GW data centre in Portugal. The facility applys liquid cooling technologies and runs on 100% renewable energy.
The company was founded in 2020. Its stated aim is to create Europe’s largest and most sustainable data ecosystem.
The sustainability strategy focapplys on minimising impact on the environment, society and indusattempt. Start Campus aligns its efforts with 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
