‘A day in the life’ at Elomatic
Miska Merikukka, Managing Director, Canada
For me, leadership is about empowering people to take ownership and grow. That belief has shaped everything I have done across my 13 years at Elomatic.
I first joined Elomatic as an intern, starting out in mechanical and design engineering before moving into project management, a direction I had long aspired to. Over time, I became increasingly involved in research and development, eventually becoming Elomatic’s Head of Digitalization and helping to kickstart Elomatic’s Aura APM project, an asset performance management system, which provides detailed access to customizable data streams from an owner’s asset, allowing shipowners to monitor and predict their vessel’s condition. From this, I then moved to Canada to establish and develop Elomatic’s North American presence as Managing Director, Canada.
As Managing Director, I led Elomatic’s growing operations in North America, where our team is working on the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) Polar Icebreaker project. As a member of the project team since 2021 – in partnership with Seaspan and Aker Arctic – Elomatic has provided engineering and consultation support from the basic to functional design phases. In October 2025, Seaspan awarded Elomatic with a further significant contract to provide engineering and design support services for the CCG’s Polar build contract.
This partnership has allowed Elomatic to support knowledge transfer and capability-building within Canadian shipyards, while creating a strong foundation for future growth in both Canada and the US. Over the past two years, the office has grown from just one person in 2023 to more than 40 by the end of 2025, further strengthened by the establishment of Elomatic USA Inc.
With US shipbuilding now a strategic priority, demand is growing for build-ready designs and shipyards that operate as efficient, high-output facilities. Elomatic is well placed to support this shift, bringing expertise in both vessel design and shipyard transformation, and working alongside owners and builders from concept through to production.
That growth in North America, and the broader strategic opportunities it opened up, led to my recent appointment as Vice President of Business Development. In this role, I see real momentum in the maritime industry toward efficiency, green technologies, and AI-driven analytics. I believe the companies that succeed are those that combine technical excellence with strategic innovation, creating solutions that make tangible impacts on both ship design and engineering, and on shipowners’ operations, whilst supporting a smarter and more strategic approach to fleet management. With my background spanning both industrial engineering and software development, I believe ship connectivity and real-time data will continue to play a fundamental role in this future.
A recent moment of reflection came during a team event in Vancouver, where I saw just how much our local operation had grown over the past two years. Seeing the expansion from a small group to a thriving team reinforced the sense of purpose behind Elomatic’s expansion in North America – building not just ships, but opportunities for people to develop and succeed together. It was also a personal milestone, reflecting both the dedication this role has required and the learning that comes from continually challenging myself. I am grateful for the trust and support Elomatic has given me, and for the strength, flexibility, and unwavering support of my family, which has been fundamental throughout this journey.
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