How Daan Terberg grew from dual student to Power Apps & AI consultant at Axelio

From account management to technology

Daan started with a vocational training in International Business Account Management. Besides his interest in sales, he also found technology interesting. Daan began his HBO ICT education but quickly realized he wanted to gain more practical experience than the books could offer. Through a roundabout way, he ended up in the dual variant of HBO ICT: three days working at a company, two days in school. Since he started late, he had to find an internship within two days. He came into contact with Axelio, where a colleague was already following a similar program.

The first conversation, with director Renger Reitsema, clicked immediately. "We were aligned in how we think about things and what ambitions we have," Daan explains. That combination of client contact and technology appealed to him. No choice between sales or programming, but something in between.

Working and studying at the same time

The dual program required flexibility, from Daan himself and from his employer. Projects did not always run in sync with the professional tasks he had to demonstrate for school. "There was always a solution to be found to make it work," he says. "That also has to do with the space we have here to grow."

His education mainly provided him with a solid foundation in thinking about technology: how to analyze issues and work towards a scalable solution. At the same time, Daan noticed that developments around AI are moving incredibly fast in practice.

During his graduation defense, he mentioned that he had used AI in his program. This led to a discussion about the possibilities and limitations of AI, highlighting how quickly the field is changing. For Daan, this confirmed how important it is to not only understand new technology theoretically but also to work actively with it. The education gave him the foundation; practice taught him how to apply it.

From Power Platform to AI Consultant

Daan started as a technical consultant focusing on Power Platform, which has now evolved into a specialization in AI. He gives presentations and conducted a webinar on AI. Soon, he is preparing a session for an internal team day, where a client will also join to hear how Axelio applies AI in practice.

What continues to appeal to him about Power Platform is that it is accessible enough to explain to clients, yet complex enough to find technical depth, especially in combination with automation and AI integrations.

"You should not wait for clients to come to you to do things differently. You must ensure that you have learned it yourself so that you can convince them that they need it."

First the person, then the technology

One principle that Daan holds in his work: never start with the technology, but with the people and the process. "If you reason from the technology, you build something different than what people need," he explains. Only when the process is mapped out and can be improved does a system come over it.

One of the AI projects clearly demonstrated that principle in practice. For Animal Shelter Amsterdam, they developed a solution where volunteers could take a photo of an animal brought in, after which AI recognized the breed. This made the registration process simpler and more consistent, while volunteers had quicker access to the right information to properly document an animal.

Proud of growth

When it comes to pride, Daan mentions two aspects: results and growth. On the results side, he thinks of a time tracking app that connects various business systems and brings together approval flows for employees, managers, finance, and HR.

On the growth side, he mentions a field service app for technicians. The project faced a challenging phase where quick adjustments had to be made, even right before his vacation. That was where he saw the value: by taking responsibility, maintaining oversight, and working with the client towards a solution, the dynamics changed positively. "Personally, I have grown enormously in that," says Daan.

Looking ahead

Daan sees the role of developer shifting in the coming years. Not because technology is becoming less important, but because the emphasis will be more on management: how do you ensure that a system remains scalable, future-proof, and responsible? According to him, AI will play an increasingly significant role in this, but it also requires conscious choices. For Daan, this means that a model must handle data carefully and be transparent in how it works. "Open and honest, that is important to me."

He does not want to let go of technology himself, but he does want to broaden his role towards pre-sales and possibly leadership in the long term. "I would enjoy thinking about how we can make the company even better for our people and even better for our clients."

Working at Axelio means for Daan that he can contribute to an organization that wants to grow while he also continues to grow. Not only as a consultant but also as someone who can guide the development of clients, colleagues, and the organization.