Meet the Team: Kevin
Ever wonder who’s behind Hive? Meet the people shaping Hive from the inside out!
This week, we’re spotlighting our Managing Director, Kevin Xia. Kevin is equal parts strategist and community-builder, helping strengthen Hive’s role as a connector in the farmed animal advocacy movement. Thoughtful, curious, and always collaborative, Kevin helps Hive do what it does best: bring farmed animal advocates together.
What brought you to Hive?
I had been fairly invested in the broader effective animal advocacy movement, usually as a consumer of content. I had previously remarked to a couple of friends of mine that I found it unfortunate that there's not really a central active platform where our community can interact with one another. At least, there wasn't one that I was aware of (I even played with the thought of creating one myself). When I heard about the announcement of the Hive Slack, I joined - on what I believe was the day after it publicly launched - as one of the first people.
What’s something you’ve learned from the Hive community?
Hive was my first point of contact with the broader effective animal advocacy community, where I felt comfortable contributing myself. I think in being so, I learned so incredibly much about other people's perspectives and perhaps crucially about the value of my perspective. On a more meta level, I observed and learned how incredibly kind, open, and helpful the animal advocacy space is.
What is one local organization you’re excited about that gives you hope for the farmed animal advocacy movement in your region?
I am pretty excited about Plant-based Universities! Their chapter in Graz was the first chapter outside of the UK to secure the Students’ Union’s support for 100% plant-based menus. The campaign has since spread across various universities in Austria, and I am grateful to count some of the core organizers among my closest friends. They are some of the most ambitious, dedicated, and agentic people I know, making me even more excited about this campaign!
What’s one thing in your environment that inspires you or reminds you why you do this work?
My cat, Wednesday! A few weeks after we had her, she started crying in her carrier for like 10 minutes while we were at the vet, and it broke my heart. Feeling the weight of hundreds of billions of other animals with the same complex inner life, in cages for their entire life, transformed me. This was long after I went vegan/started doing animal activism - there's a sense in which she has taught me and continues to remind me of the individuality and inner life of animals
What’s one way you recharge outside of your advocacy work?
I love to cook and eat great food! I often cook for other people at charity dinners, potlucks, or events/parties and spend hours in the kitchen (or, in the case of a Christmas dinner, days), and I keep a rated list of the best vegan places in all the cities I have explored, scored from 0-100. Food is pretty awesome.
If Hive had an official song, what do you think it would be?
My Shot, from the Musical Hamilton. I think there is a sense in which we want to make sure that animal advocates “don’t throw away their shot” - but there is also a general vibe to it that resonates with our fight against industrial animal agriculture.
Kevin, waiting to watch the
musical Hamilton!
What’s one risk or experiment you’ve taken at Hive that taught you something valuable?
Momentum matters a lot. Earlier this year, we made a strategic decision to hire Alexia as our Latin America lead after she represented Hive as a volunteer on a few conferences across Latin America and right before the AVA Summit US. It was a risk I felt uncomfortable with, because we technically hadn't raised our desired budget to make her an offer yet. But we felt there was a ton of momentum in her work that deserved to be built upon. I believe that this has paid off tremendously well, and I have been extremely excited about how her role has developed. I think waiting a few more months would have been detrimental to the incredible work she's doing.
What’s a small but powerful way to nurture a new connection into lasting collaboration?
Be proactive! I feel like many connections fizzle out because both parties are waiting for the other person to reach out, and both are thinking they don’t want to bother the other person! People meet loads of people during events like conferences, but very few follow up afterwards - be one of them!
That’s Kevin!
As Hive’s Managing Director, Kevin plays a key role in shaping our work here at Hive and strengthening the movement from the inside out. We’re grateful for his commitment and the perspective he brings to the team.
Thanks for reading Kevin’s story… and stay tuned for more from the Hive team!
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