Quadero: Building an IT Consultancy on Trust and Human Connection
In early 2023, Roeland Vermeulen and several colleagues made a decision that would define the character of their new company. They had been part of an established IT consultancy when the firm announced a merger that, in their view, compromised the integrity of the work and the culture they valued. The team left, determined to create a business that would embody a different ethos. The principle was simple: do “nice things with nice people.” From that conviction, Quadero was born.
This blog post is part of 80+ case studies of progressive organizations we created for the ZeroDX awards 2025. These organizations embody the principles of RenDanHeYi in their work structures:
Zero Distance to customer: Decision what to build is based on insights from the marketplace
Autonomy: Small teams with full decision-making autonomy enable speed in execution
Shared Rewards: Everyone in the micro-enterprise participates in its financial success.
In just a year and a half, Quadero expanded from three founders to a team of twenty. This fast growth showed that clients were eager for a more personal and flexible approach to consultancy. At the same time, it challenged thefounders to hold onto their vision of a company without rigid layers of control. Instead of rebuilding the structures they had walked away from, they focused on keeping the organization as flat as possible, trusting people to take initiative without waiting for approval. In this way, Quadero began to show echoes of RenDanHeYi ideas, which encourage employees to act as self-managing entrepreneurs close to the customer.
One example of this trust is visible in how employees manage client relationships. In a large account where Quadero has embedded a team of consultants directly into the client’s operations, they act as part of the client’s workforce rather than as external vendors. They do not need to ask for permission before deciding how to improve the client’s environment. When the client prepared for a major trade show, the Quadero team took it upon themselves to upgrade a key dashboard to help the client make a stronger impression. The work was not requested or billed separately. As Roeland explained, “We just thought, if their tool is successful, it will be successful for us as well.” This mindset ofproactively creating value rather than waiting for instructions is a practical expression of zero distance.
Quadero’s approach to pay and rewards is designed to make everyone feel like a true partner in the business. Right from the start, they introduced a profit-sharing plan that gives employees twenty percent of annual profits. Alongside that, they created a virtual shares system that gradually allocates a portion of the company’s value to the team. Instead of granting stock options with financial risk, this model shares the benefits of growth in a simpler and more inclusive way. These ideas reflect RDHY’s focus on aligning incentives and distributing ownership, so that success belongs to everyone rather than a small group at the top.
Their way of working also challenges some of the default assumptions in IT services. Rather than focus narrowly on billable hours, the team has begun experimenting with value-based pricing. In one case, they moved from hourly billing to a fixed monthly fee tied to the outcomes they achieve. To support this, employees helped design an internal tool that tracks and visualizes their impact. The tool not only documents results for clients but also reminds the team to reflect on how their work creates value. This practice shows how Quadero is starting to build systems that support transparency and collective learning—two foundations of RDHY transformations.
Internally, Quadero has no formal managers. Responsibility for running the company is distributed among employees. One consultant looks after mobility and car leasing, another manages hardware procurement, and others take care of aspects of internal development. The idea is to let people shape the way the company works rather than relying on a separate management layer. Roeland acknowledged that this level of freedom can be uncomfortable at first. He noticed that some colleagues feel more secure asking for instructions because it removes personal accountability.“People are sometimes a bit configured towards, ‘let’s just ask someone up in the company,’ because then I’m blameless,” he said. Over time, the team has been learning that autonomy is not simply granted—it has to be practiced, supported, and sometimes coached.
The culture Quadero wants to create is not defined by perks or team-building events. It is built on a deeper belief thatwork should be both meaningful and enjoyable. Roeland often returns to the idea that hospitality belongs in consultancy. For him, hospitality is not a process but an attitude—genuine care for clients and colleagues alike. This mindset influences how people tackle challenges, how they treat one another, and how they measure success. In this sense, Quadero’s culture is aligned with RDHY principles, which focus on human connection, transparency, and shared purpose.
As the company continues to grow, the founders hope to hold onto this spirit. They are already exploring the idea of moving toward a steward-ownership model in the future, to protect the values and commitments that have guided them so far. This potential evolution, from a founder-led company to one owned and governed collectively, would be a natural step toward
the RDHY ideal of an organization designed to serve both people and society. For now, the most visible measure of progress is not found in revenue charts, but in the everyday experiences of the people who work there. As Roeland shared, one of the most gratifying moments has been hearing from employees who say their families notice them smiling again. For him, that simple reflection is the clearest sign that Quadero is on the right path.
