Ton Monasso

Senior adviser and researcher at PBLQ Zenc

After completing pre-university education, Ton looked for a course that combined strong analytical subjects – technology and mathematics – with more social disciplines such as economics and public administration. He found that combination at the faculty of TPM. “Technology and mathematics are an important part of the course. The TPM courses involve much more than just numbers, but you have to have to a weakness for them to enjoy the courses and be able to cope with the high level.” 

A highlight of the course was a two-month research internship in South Africa focusing on subsidies for ‘telecom in the countryside’. “This taught me a great deal about cultural differences. By really rolling your sleeves up and setting to work, you learn about a country in a completely different way than when you visit as a tourist. My introduction to normal life was further intensified by the fact that the supervisor introduced us to his South African network of friends and relations.”

After graduating Ton began as an adviser at Capgemini Consulting. Almost two years later he moved to PBLQ Zenc, a research and consulting firm that stimulates a strong organisation within the government and the care sector. He is senior adviser and researcher at the company, a capacity in which he focuses mainly on the quality of the information exchange between public organisations. “Can a paediatrician and a primary school teacher understand each other when they’re talking about a ‘suspicion of children abuse’? Do local authorities have the correct address details for their citizens, so that everyone receives a voting pass and tax assessment? And do you receive traffic fines when your registration plate is caught by a speed camera?” 

“Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management (CoSEM) has helped me in particular to see problems from a very broad perspective: not based on a discipline, but rather from different angles at the same time. That fits well with reality, because differences in fields are not relevant to my clients and the challenges they contend with.”