Meet Mathieu, Naval Performance Engineer
From competitive sailing to naval performance engineering, Mathieu Cadei’s journey has been shaped by a constant desire to improve things - step by step, with rigour.
Growing up in Switzerland, he discovered sailing early on and quickly moved into competition. Alongside sailing, he wanted to stay close to the maritime world while developing strong technical expertise. This naturally led him to study naval architecture in Southampton (UK), where he completed a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, specialising in vessel performance prediction and fluid mechanics.
After graduating, Mathieu began his professional career in the UK. For three years, he worked in a naval architecture and engineering consultancy specialised in motor superyachts, contributing to international projects across Europe. While the engineering challenges were stimulating, he gradually felt the need for change - both professionally and personally - and decided to return to the continent.
That’s when he discovered Syroco.
“I wanted to use my engineering skills for something that had more meaning.”
What drives him?
At Syroco, Mathieu works as a Naval Performance Engineer, contributing to the prediction and modelling of vessel performance as well as to the development of digital twins of vessels. His job is to ensure that these models accurately reflect real operating conditions - wind, waves, propulsion and speed - so that they can be used with confidence in operational decision-making.
What motivates him most is the continuous refinement behind the models: improving performance predictions, working on specific technical aspects such as propulsion behaviour or vessel response in waves, and pushing the models further as Syroco grows.
“What I’m most passionate about is being able to keep refining the models over time, ensuring that they are as accurate as possible. There is always something to improve - adjusting the models, capturing better complex physical phenomena, and reducing the gap between theory and reality.”
And beyond work?
Mathieu still competes in sailing, mainly in coastal racing, where tactics and close calls keep things intense. Running and skiing help him reset and keep perspective - on the water and beyond.
