Montana Roelvink
Consultant
Introduction Montana
Hi, my name is Montana Roelvink. I’ve lived in the Netherlands, the United States, and New Zealand, and I’m excited to now call Australia home as I begin a new chapter with CAPE Digital Solutions. Relocating to Australia has been a dream since I first visited in 2019. I felt that Sydney offered the perfect blend of dynamic city and laidback coastal lifestyles. This really resonated with me as it felt like living in a mix of Amsterdam and California.
In this blog
Can you give us a short introduction about yourself?
My professional journey began in The Netherlands, where I had the opportunity to work on Mendix projects for multiple industry-leading corporations across Europe. These experiences allowed me to contribute to solutions that had meaningful, real-world impact. While I initially focused on business analysis, I later pivoted towards UI/UX design. I’ve since led design efforts across multiple teams, combining creative thinking with technical execution to deliver applications that are intuitive and more efficient in day-to-day operations. At CAPE, I’m excited to bring this experience to a team focussed on growing Mendix’s presence in the ANZ region.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Since I only moved to Australia a month ago, I am still settling in and exploring my new home base. My partner and I like to take the ferry, the bus, or our scooter to new areas to get acquainted with all the fascinating viewpoints and local landmarks. We act like tourists, and we are in awe that we get to live here. Wherever we go, finding a new coffee spot is a guarantee.
Relocating also provides the opportunity to try out new hobbies. I’ve tried a few new sports, including surfing, fishing and beach tennis. I also recently got my PADI certification, so I’m eager on exploring Australia’s marine environment.
What drew you to Mendix specifically, and how has it shaped your approach to development?
I come from a high-code background, as I’ve used platforms such as R during my academic career. Interestingly, the more skilled I became, the less I enjoyed writing hand-written code. I have a strong attention to detail, and I often became frustrated with the time-investment necessary to build solutions in the exact way I had envisioned them. After graduation I thought coding wasn’t the right path for me, until someone introduced me to Mendix. With Mendix I spent significantly less time and effort on repetitive or low-value tasks, which allowed the perfectionist in me to spend more time on refining the solution. For example, what I particularly enjoy at the moment is combining Mendix development with front-end development (styling) to create applications that are not only functional but also visually engaging.
What do you hope to bring to the team (skills, mindset, experience)?
I simply hope to be a collaborative and valuable team member, and I believe my well-rounded background can help me achieve this. I have hands-on experience with design, development, and consulting, and I’ve worked in both high-code and low-code environments. This combination helps me to adapt to a variety of project requirements, which comes in handy as each Mendix project is extremely different.
Additionally, having lived across different countries, I bring an adaptable mindset and a sensitivity to different ways of working. These international experiences have made me more open-minded and perceptive, which are qualities I find valuable in consulting environments where building strong client relationships is key.
What advice would you give to companies hesitant to embrace low-code platforms like Mendix?
From experience, I’ve noticed that when people hear the term “low-code” for the first time, they associate it with simple or small-scale applications. However, platforms such as Mendix have matured greatly and are now used to build complex, business-critical applications. What sets Mendix apart is that you can reach this level of complexity whilst still supporting faster delivery and more adaptability. With Mendix, I have been able to build functional prototypes in less than a week—something that consistently impresses clients. The main benefit of working at this speed is that it allows for immediate validation and/or feedback, so we can refine features early rather than fixing it retroactively. The development cycle thus becomes more responsive and collaborative, bridging the gap between business and IT.
If we are talking to 'future Montana’ in a year, what do you hope you could have achieved together with CAPE and working for its clients?
In a year time I know I can look back on at least one go-live. I hope this will have gone smoothly and that the client will be genuinely happy with the outcome. I hope my contributions in design and development will have tangible results and will have made people’s work easier and more efficient.
On a more personal level, I hope to build strong, trusting relationships with both clients and teammates within CAPE, and to continue developing my technical and consulting skills. Each engagement is a learning opportunity.
I’d also like to deepen my expertise in UX and front-end styling within Mendix—particularly by exploring best practices in usability. Additionally, I’d like to help CAPE build a design system that is easy for all developers to use, so that each developer can make polished interfaces with minimal design experience.
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