Hilal Çakmak brings a builder’s mindset to Cadmatic’s global partnerships
Hilal Çakmak has joined Cadmatic as Global Strategic Partnerships Lead. Based in Barcelona, she is responsible for building and leading Cadmatic’s global partnerships function as the company takes a more strategic and structured approach to partnerships worldwide.
Her path into technology hasn’t followed a straight line. She brings years of experience in technology partnerships, a builder’s mindset, and a belief that the best results come from working together.
Finding her way into tech
Hilal grew up in Cologne, Germany, and has called Barcelona home for more than seven years. She originally studied history and English, but halfway through her studies she realized that teaching wasn’t the career for her. She also gained experience in the textile industry, but over time, she began questioning whether it aligned with her personal values and long-term ambitions.
Meanwhile, friends working in technology encouraged her to explore the software industry. Curious about its possibilities, she took the leap and joined Autodesk.
She began in automotive sales, working closely with partners and gradually discovering an area of business she genuinely enjoyed.
When Autodesk acquired a cloud-based construction software company, Hilal joined a small team responsible for growing the new business. One of her responsibilities was developing its partnership framework from scratch.
At a time when many European customers were still hesitant about cloud technology, she saw an opportunity to help build something with long-term potential.
The experience helped her realize what motivated her most: creating something new and seeing it grow.
“I want to stay in partnerships, but I really like the builder role,” she says. “Not just the maintenance of partnerships that are already established.”
A new opportunity to make an impact at Cadmatic
After her previous role came to an end, Hilal deliberately took a few months off to travel, recharge, and think about what she wanted from her next career move.
She knew she wanted to stay in technology and partnerships, and this time, she was looking for a role with real ownership, where she could shape how partnerships work.
That’s when Cadmatic entered the picture.
The company’s technology was connected to industries she already knew, while its international growth ambitions offered an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.
“If I feel like I can make a difference and contribute to the overall growth of a company, it’s very rewarding for me,” she says.
“You’re building something within the company, and you know that what you’re building is contributing to the bigger picture.”
The people she met during recruitment made the opportunity even more appealing.
“People were so friendly and kind. I kind of had a sense of, okay, these people are quite nice and cool,” she recalls.
Her first visit to Cadmatic’s Turku office reinforced that impression. With colleagues gathering for leadership workshops, the office was full of activity, and her new teammates quickly made her feel welcome, inviting her to everything from game night to morning yoga.
For someone starting a new role in an international organization, those small moments made a difference.
Building partnerships that grow together
As part of Cadmatic’s continued growth, the company is taking a more strategic and structured approach to partnerships globally. Hilal’s role is to define the strategy, framework, and operating model for how Cadmatic identifies, develops, and manages partnerships.
Cadmatic already collaborates with partners in areas such as system integration, implementation services, and reselling, and Hilal’s work builds on that foundation. In her first weeks, she is meeting colleagues across Customer Success, Marketing, Business Development, and regional Sales to learn from their existing activities and perspectives.
But before developing that framework, she wants to understand where Cadmatic is heading.
By looking at the company’s ambitions for the next five to ten years, she can identify how different partnerships could help support its strategy, expand its capabilities, and create value for customers.
For Hilal, successful partnerships are never simply transactional.
“Partners are our extended team members,” she says. “Partners are working with us. Even though we’re coming from different places, the goal should always be the same.”
She believes the strongest partnerships are built on mutual respect, shared goals, and accountability. Both sides need to benefit from the relationship, and both need to be invested in making it work.
That philosophy also shapes how she approaches her role internally.
“It’s a team effort. I can’t do it on my own,” she says.
Building a successful partner ecosystem requires close collaboration with colleagues across technical teams, product development, and customer success. Partners need the right knowledge and support to implement Cadmatic solutions successfully.
“I see myself as the bridge both ways – between the partners and my colleagues.”
Her immediate goal is to create a clear, common global approach to partnerships together with colleagues, and to help teams across the organization see how and when partners can support their work
It’s a big challenge, but that’s exactly what attracted her to the opportunity.
“Always be bold and brave”
Hilal sees her varied path into tech as a strength.
Asked what advice she would give someone considering an international career in a technical field, especially women who might question whether they have the right background, her answer is immediate.
“Always be bold and brave. Never think ‘I cannot do this because I didn’t study it’ or ‘I’m a woman and that’s a male field’,” she says. “Not trying at all is the biggest error.”
It’s a mindset she learned from her father and one that has stayed with her throughout her career.
“He always used to say: if you try, you can fail. But if you don’t try, you have already failed.”
For Hilal, being willing to explore unfamiliar opportunities has opened doors she never expected.
And now, at Cadmatic, she’s ready to build something new.
Your career doesn’t have to follow a straight line. At Cadmatic, you can bring your experience, explore new opportunities, and help shape what comes next.
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