Chris Demetriou, (Assistant Director of Corporate Fleet, Transport and Accessible Community Transport at Islington Borough Council) has spent over 24 years in the public sector and now leads one of the UK’s most ambitious local authority fleet decarbonisation programmes.  

Chris shares his journey from a two-week temp job to becoming a driving force behind Islington’s transition to electric vehicles, with over 140 EVs in operation and innovative vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trials underway. He opens up about the challenges of electrifying large municipal fleets, from refuse trucks to community transport buses, and why collaboration and infrastructure sharing between councils is critical for resilience and improved air quality.  

Beyond the technology, Chris speaks passionately about air quality, mental health, and resilience, drawing on his own experiences with asthma, running 11 miles to work daily, and leading by example in the fight for a zero-emission future.  

If you want to hear how a local authority can become a genuine pioneer in fleet electrification, and why bold leadership, persistence, and innovation matter, this episode is for you.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-demetriou-6a716a5a/?originalSubdomain=uk