Building something that truly matters
Milence is on a mission to build Europe’s leading charging network for electric trucks, but behind the ambition lies a woman who didn’t wait for direction. In 2021, Anja van Niersen was invited to advise on a new joint venture between Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and TRATON. Backed by €500 million, the mandate was clear: enable zero-emission freight across Europe. Yet in a sector with no roadmap, someone had to start drawing one from scratch.
Anja did more than advise. She stepped in, rolled up her sleeves with the founding team, and built Milence from the ground up. From legal frameworks and stakeholder alignment to strategic vision and execution, she and her first colleagues laid the foundations of a unique charging company that now operates across Europe. By 2030, Milence aims to deliver at least 1,700 high-performance charging points, not for PR, but to meet real needs in logistics and freight.
So, who is this person behind this bold build? In this conversation with Paul Jan Jacobs (founder of EVBoosters), Anja reveals how a quiet, curious childhood became the basis. How moments of personal confrontation, including one with her son, sparked major professional decisions. And how self-awareness, more than certainty, became her biggest strength.
She talks candidly about slowing down to bring others along, about listening deeply, and why integrity is non-negotiable — even if it costs speed. Her story isn’t about chasing the spotlight. It’s about building something that truly matters, and staying grounded at all times while doing it.
What did you want to become during your childhood? Did you already have big dreams to pursue?
Anja: To be honest, I never had a specific childhood ambition. I wasn’t someone who dreamed of becoming a pilot or a doctor. Instead, I was curious, endlessly so. I found joy in learning, in reading, in figuring out how things worked. That curiosity wasn’t just a phase; it was the core of who I am. I was a quiet child, independent in my thinking, always asking questions not just about facts, but about meaning and impact.
I may not have articulated it at the time, but my inner drive was already forming: to utilize knowledge and innovation to make the world a tangible better place. It wasn’t about status or profession; it was simple, really: to utilize my knowledge to enhance systems, empower people, and create lasting value.
Which people (personally or professionally) have played a decisive role in your development, and what did you learn from them?
Anja: Several key people stand out. At Alliander, Peter Molengraaf and Pallas Agterberg made a deep impression. They had strategic vision, but more importantly, the courage to act on it. It’s one thing to know what must change — it’s quite another to make it happen. That lesson stuck with me.
Personally, my son also played an unexpectedly pivotal role. When I was still unsure whether to join Milence, he called me out: “You’re being loyal to the wrong things,” he said. “I see how alive you become when you talk about this — why are you hesitating?” That confrontation, coming from someone who knew me so intimately, was decisive. It forced me to listen to my own truth. I realised: he was right. That one evening shifted everything.
"They had strategic vision, but more importantly, the courage to act on it. It’s one thing to know what must change, it’s quite another to make it happen."
What is a typical Anja decision?
Anja: I often don’t choose the easy route. Where others may follow what’s expected or convenient, I ask what truly matters to the people we serve. A typical decision for me is saying no to short-term thinking.
For example, when we began planning and building the first Milence stations, we focused on the comfort, safety, and rhythm of the truck drivers, as well as the needs of logistics companies. Toilets, showers, proper lighting, and reliable power all matter. That choice wasn’t easy or cheap, but it created real value.
What lesson about yourself have you only recently come to understand truly?
Anja: Over time, I’ve come to understand that my way of thinking can be quite intuitive. I often connect ideas across different domains and move several steps ahead in my mind. While this can lead to quick insights, it doesn’t always follow the same pace as others, which can unintentionally create distance. I used to get frustrated when people didn’t immediately follow my thinking, but I’ve since realised that clarity and inclusion matter more than speed. It’s my responsibility to bring others along, to explain the context, the steps, and the why.
This self-awareness has made me a more thoughtful communicator, and ultimately, a more effective leader.
What’s something you do differently today thanks to feedback from your team?
Anja: I’ve become a better listener, not just in hearing words, but in recognising timing, tone, and emotional undercurrents. Early in my career, I was very solution-oriented: identify the problem, fix it, move on.
But leadership in a scale-up requires more than fixing; it requires creating cultures. My team helped me see that sometimes, they didn’t need answers. They needed me to hold space, to reflect with them, to co-create. That shift has made me more collaborative and more human. Feedback isn’t always comfortable, but it’s always a gift.
"Nerves are a signal of importance, not weakness. And I’ve learned to step into that discomfort because that’s often where change begins."
When was the last time you did something as a leader that made you nervous?
Anja: It happens more often than people think. Most recently, I stood on a significant event stage, speaking to an audience comprising policymakers, engineers, and sceptics. The stakes were high. I wasn’t just talking about infrastructure, I was inviting people to think differently, to trust, and to embrace transformation.
That made me vulnerable, not because I doubted the content, not because I questioned the message, but because I knew I was challenging deeply held assumptions. I still get nervous before such moments, but I’ve reframed that tension: it means I care. Nerves are a signal of importance, not weakness. And I’ve learned to step into that discomfort because that’s often where change begins.
In what role did you know: now I’m truly in the right place?
Anja: When I stepped into the leadership role at Milence, I knew this is it. All the pieces of my experience came together: my governance background, my technical knowledge, my understanding of scaling organisations, and my ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics. It felt like a synthesis of everything I had done before.
What’s more, it didn’t feel like an abstract fit; it felt embodied, as if my past decisions had all led to this. It wasn’t just a good job, it was the culmination of a path I’d unknowingly been walking for years.
What leadership lesson couldn’t you learn from a book?
Anja: Real leadership is about emotional resonance. You can learn frameworks and strategies from books, but they won’t teach you how to walk into a room and feel the tension before anyone speaks. Or how to sense when someone is withholding something important. Or how to sit with discomfort long enough for real change to happen.
Leadership is presence. It’s knowing when your silence is more powerful than your opinion. It’s essential to understand that your energy influences more than just your words. These are lessons life teaches you, often in moments of failure, vulnerability, or deep introspection.
How do you want Milence to remain different, even as it grows?
Anja: I want us to stay radically aligned with user needs. That means no vanity projects, no “look how innovative we are” narratives. We build where there is demand, where we solve friction, where we serve truck drivers, logistic companies, and consumers, not just policy. I also want us to keep our integrity at scale. Many companies shift identity as they grow; we must not. Whether we have 100 or 10,000 sites, our DNA must remain: user-first, transparent, thoughtful. And lastly, I want us to keep listening. Arrogance is the beginning of irrelevance. Curiosity must always lead.
What are you secretly most proud of, even if you don’t talk about it often?
Anja: Firstly, being one of the very early voices in the EV space. Back in 2009–2010, there were only a few of us across Europe championing this shift. People thought we were naïve. Today, seeing EVs on every street still moves me.
Secondly, what we’ve built with Milence in such a short time, within three years, we’ve become the go-to name in truck charging infrastructure. When I hear a logistics CEO say, “We’ve bought our last diesel truck,” and they say it with pride — that’s when I know we’re making real change.
"I want us to keep listening. Arrogance is the beginning of irrelevance. Curiosity must always lead."
What value is non-negotiable for you, even if it means slower growth for Milence?
Anja: Integrity is the anchor. It’s not negotiable, not in contracts, not in communication, not in culture. I’ve walked away from fast deals because they didn’t meet our ethical standards. I’ve said no to shortcuts that could have gained market share but lost trust. In a world of acceleration and visibility, it’s tempting to prioritise optics. But the real strength lies in consistency. Our stakeholders, from truck drivers to government partners, must know that what we say, we do. If that means growing slower but stronger, so be it. Integrity compounds over time. It’s our brand capital.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned while building Milence that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else?
Anja: How to navigate at the intersection of innovation, governance, and urgency. The complexity of building pan-European infrastructure — under pressure, with diverse stakeholders, in a politically sensitive sector — is unlike anything I’ve encountered. It has taught me how to create clarity out of ambiguity, how to lead with both vision and compliance, and how to keep the human perspective in focus. It’s stretched me more than any role before. And it’s made me deeply aware of the privilege and responsibility of building something this significant.
"Integrity is the anchor. It’s not negotiable, not in contracts, not in communication, not in culture. "
Do you have dreams you want to pursue in the future besides Milence
Anja: Through personal experience, I’ve come to believe that our approach to health and illness needs to be fundamentally rethought. Too often, we focus on treatment rather than prevention, and on symptoms rather than root causes. If I were to pursue a mission beyond Milence, it would be in healthcare, with a strong focus on early prevention and long-term wellbeing.
It’s about how we live, the environment we create, how we take care of ourselves, and the early recognition of genetic risks. We need to invest earlier, where it truly makes a difference, instead of only acting when it’s too late.
There are so many system-level choices that could be made differently — shifting the focus from treatment to prevention, from profit to real impact. That’s where my dream lies. I may not realize it myself, but if the opportunity came, I’d love to contribute to that change.
Finally… what are your most important tips for (future) leaders?
Anja: Start by listening. It sounds obvious — but it’s not. Real leadership begins when you stop talking and truly pay attention. Look closely at your customers, your team, your surroundings. Where is the essence? What do people really need — and are you even solving the right problem?
Ask questions. Stay curious. Don’t default to broadcasting your vision from a stage. Step down, join the conversation, and truly listen. Not to respond, but to understand. That’s how you keep improving. That’s how you lead with purpose.
EVBoosters Executive Search: Trusted growth partner for EV Charging & e-Mobility leadership since 2018
Since 2018, EVBoosters has been the trusted executive search partner for Europe’s leading EV Charging and e-Mobility companies — supporting their growth by placing board members, senior executives and functional leaders who truly shape the industry. If you’re a founder, investor, senior manager or board member looking to strengthen your leadership team or fill a critical senior role in sales, operations or product, we know the market, the talent and the challenges you face.
📅 Schedule an introductory call HERE with our founder and managing partner, Paul Jan Jacobs — and let’s explore together how we can accelerate your growth journey.
