How did Application Specialist Maheswaran build a global career at Cadmatic?
What does building a global career truly mean? Meet Maheswaran Thirunavukarasu, who works as a Senior Application Specialist at Cadmatic, helping customers solve complex technical challenges with customized software solutions. He started his journey at Cadmatic in India back in 2016, and in 2023, he relocated to Finland. Now, nearly a decade later, he’s built a life in Finland, supporting global teams and clients from our HQ in Turku. In this blog, you’ll learn how his career grew across countries, how Cadmatic supported his relocation, and how a mindset of continuous learning helped him become the expert he is today.
Starting out in India, and growing into the expert role
When Maheswaran Thirunavukarasu joined Cadmatic in 2016, he already knew the software – from the customer side. At the time, he was working for a shipbuilding company in India where Cadmatic tools were part of the daily workflow. His journey with Cadmatic started as a user, but his curiosity pushed him to go further.
“I was always interested in how the backend of the software worked. In my previous company, I started at the user level, and based on my interest and performance, I was later given the opportunity to become a Cadmatic administrator for various projects,” Maheswaran says. “That exposure helped me gain deeper knowledge, and I became the go-to Cadmatic expert inside the company.”
“At one point, I realized that working directly with Cadmatic technology and helping others use it effectively was what I enjoyed most. So when the opportunity to join Cadmatic in India came, it felt like the natural next step for my career growth,” he says.
“At one point, I realized that working directly with Cadmatic technology and helping others use it effectively was what I enjoyed most.”
When he joined Cadmatic India, he noticed an opportunity to develop stronger scripting and customization capabilities within the team. So, he took the initiative to start learning programming and Cadmatic scripting himself. “I saw there was a need, and I wanted to fill it. I started delivering results for real customer cases,” he explains.
In the years that followed, he worked closely with customers across Southeast Asia. His role was hands-on and travel-heavy, supporting implementations, solving technical challenges, handling training and product demonstrations, and helping customers adapt the software to their needs.
As his expertise grew, so did his ability to contribute directly. He primarily worked with CADMATIC Outfitting products and gained experience in scripting and customizing software for different customer environments.
“That hands-on experience taught me how to understand what the customer really needs and how to make the software work for them,” Maheswaran says.
Professional growth from software customization expert to global contributor
As Maheswaran’s skills evolved, so did his ability to create customized solutions for customers, especially within CADMATIC Outfitting product. Part of the software could be customized according to customer needs and Maheswaran had learned the skills to do that. He was scripting custom tools and solving challenges on the spot.
“Instead of adding more burden to the development team for many special customer cases, I was able to do the customization work myself, and that made things faster for the customer,” he explains.
“Instead of adding more burden to the development team for many special customer cases, I was able to do the customization work myself, and that made things faster for the customer.”
That capability caught the attention of the team in Finland. “My work in India started to be recognized by the team in Finland. They saw how I could handle customer customizations independently,” Maheswaran recalls.
As demand for customized solutions grew globally, Cadmatic saw an opportunity to bring Maheswaran even closer to the HQ to handle global customer cases. “They wanted to make use of my knowledge not just for regional customers in Asia, but for global customer cases,” he says.
That’s when the idea of relocating to Finland became a reality.
Relocating to Finland – with support, trust, and new perspective
In 2023, after several years of working with Cadmatic customers across Asia, Maheswaran was offered the chance to relocate to Finland, to Cadmatic’s headquarters in Turku. Relocating across continents isn’t a small decision, but when the opportunity came, Maheswaran knew it was the right move.
“It was a big decision for me and my family. But professionally, it made perfect sense. I knew I could grow even more if I was closer to the core teams and could contribute more directly”, Maheswaran recalls.
“It was a big decision for me and my family. But professionally, it made perfect sense. I knew I could grow even more if I was closer to the core teams and could contribute more directly.”
Cadmatic supported the relocation every step of the way. From handling visa processes and documentation to helping with practicalities like finding housing, we made sure the transition was as smooth as possible.
“I didn’t feel like I had to figure it out alone. There was always someone I could ask. And that made a big difference” Maheswaran says.
Once settled in Turku, he quickly began collaborating more closely with R&D and product specialists, deepening his understanding of the software and contributing to more strategic projects.
But beyond the work itself, the relocation gave him something just as valuable: perspective.
“Being working in both Indian work culture and also the Finnish work culture, it personally and professionally changed me to see things from a different perspective and broaden my mind. You learn to think differently when you collaborate closely with teams from multiple countries,” he says. “And the work culture here gives you space to really focus on learning and improving.”
Why Cadmatic is still the right place for him
Nearly a decade into his journey with Cadmatic, Maheswaran still finds new ways to learn, contribute, and grow. His role today blends deep product knowledge with global collaboration, and that balance is exactly what keeps him motivated.
Now based in Turku, he works closely with both customers and internal teams, helping define how Cadmatic software can be customized to meet complex use cases. In practice, he acts as a bridge between Cadmatic support and development, handling special customer cases, customizing solutions when possible, and forwarding them to development when needed.
“What I enjoy most is helping customers succeed by building the right solution for them. That’s where I feel my impact is strongest”, he says.
But what’s kept him here is more than the work itself, it’s the culture. Maheswaran describes Cadmatic as a place where curiosity is valued, people are trusted, and learning is constant. “There’s a lot of respect between people. You’re given the space to explore, to improve yourself. And when you want to grow, people here support you.”
So, what would he say to someone considering joining?“If you’re someone who wants to keep improving, not just technically, but in how you think, how you solve problems, and how you work with people, Cadmatic is the right place. Here, you’re not boxed into one thing. If you show initiative, people will support you. So, be ready to learn”, Maheswaran sums up.