Above the nursing home, at the heart of society: the office of alumnus Ivo Warmerdam
Through a combination of his own motivation, chance and good fortune, Ivo Warmerdam found his way into care for older people. Most of his fellow students went on to careers in consultancy. ‘Population ageing is a complex societal issue. That is why it is incredibly valuable to bring about change in care for older people to help prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed.’
Author: Aafke Jochems
He is surrounded by older people. Ivo shares the stairs leading to his office on the top floor with the residents and staff of the nursing home below. When he steps out onto the balcony for some fresh air, he looks out over a rehabilitation centre and a nursing home for people with dementia. When he cycles around the neighbourhood, he sometimes runs into community care workers. He couldn’t be any closer to the people his work is for.
Future-proof care for older people
Ivo works at the Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland and in three years has progressed to Manager ICT & Innovation, a role that also encompasses Data, AI and Cybersecurity. Together with a team of twelve professionals, he is shaping the digital transformation towards future-proof care for older people. Ivo’s decision to pursue a career in this field after completing his bachelor’s degree in Econometrics and master’s degrees in Econometrics & Data Science and Business Administration (specialisation in Change Management) is unusual. His fellow students are mainly consultants at large commercial firms.
Not playing the hero ‘What do you earn?’ is a question that regularly comes up when they see each other. ‘A persistent assumption is that working in the public sector always means earning less. That’s a shame,’ says Ivo. ‘For example, the starting salary of a consultant is lower. I earn well, have good terms and conditions and have nothing to complain about. But what I find more important is being of value to society. We’re living in a time when a lot is happening. Not only population ageing, but also the energy transition, climate change and AI, for example. In my youth I had the wind at my back and I was fortunate to receive a good education. That motivates me: I want to devote myself to a complex societal issue. I don’t want to make myself out to be some kind of hero just because I chose a different path. I’m simply working in a great place on a challenging issue.’
'I want to devote myself to a complex societal issue.'
Diversity is an important value
Ivo also knows the commercial sector well: he did an internship at Berenschot and was a student employee at PwC, and had a great time at both. When, by chance, he started working two days a week as a student employee at the Zonnehuisgroep, he discovered that care for older people involves wicked problems, as they are known in his field. He wrote his thesis on this theme: organisational change in the context of wicked problems. ‘I discovered that what interests me most is working on complex issues that affect society. What also struck me immediately was that all kinds of people work here, at every level. That diversity is also an important value for me.’
'All kinds of people work here, at every level. That diversity is an important value for me.’
Making sacrifices?
So there was his own motivation, but he was also fortunate to know at the start that he could grow quickly. For example, a colleague retired, leaving that position vacant. Moreover, he received good guidance. ‘There are no colleagues with the same econometrics background from whom I could learn. But there are plenty of ambitious colleagues in other fields and with different backgrounds whom I can learn from and work with to bring about the necessary changes. That is very inspiring; I enjoy going to work. That feels like success to me.’
‘In terms of content, my work does not have much to do with econometrics, a little more with business administration,’ Ivo continues. ‘I have learned to understand things analytically and at a deep level. Going one step deeper each time so that I can get to the bottom of complex issues. This is important in my work, because the challenges in care for older people are not straightforward. You come across unexpected connections.’
Deploying talent more widely
Ivo looks back fondly on his studies. His passion for economics, mathematics and statistics led him to choose econometrics. The fact that you could become a millionaire with that, as he heard at the time, had not played a role, but he did see the wide range of job opportunities. Ivo was also active in the Kraket study association, including a year as chair. ‘At company in-house days, I noticed that it was mainly large commercial organisations presenting themselves. Hardly any public sector organisations – probably also because of the high fees. Yet you can, of course, put your talent to use much more broadly.’
'It would be nice if our choice inspired others.'
Chain reaction
Ivo refers to the book The Bermuda Triangle of Talent, How Bright Minds Disappear into Meaningless Jobs. He is not suggesting that consultants have meaningless jobs. In his view, that would be too sweeping. But he does believe that more bright minds could aspire to meaningful jobs in the public sector, and thus be of value to society. ‘If I compare it with my fellow students, I made an unusual choice going into care for older people. Within the Zonnehuisgroep, I have an atypical profile and there are other colleagues with atypical profiles, such as business administration graduates and AI specialists. It would be nice if our choice inspired others – if it created a kind of chain reaction.’
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