From part -time developer to Chief Product Officer

It is a role that combines foresight with pragmatism. “Products can easily lose their edge,” Kash explains. “My job is to help expand functionality to enrich the value we deliver to our existing customers, as well as capturing new markets. That means steering my team with a clear sense of what our customers need, where the market is going, and how our technology can best serve organisations today and in the future.”

A career shaped by tlmNexus

Kash’s career at tlmNexus began in 2006, after completing a Batchelor of Engineering degree, working as a developer in India and completing a Masters in Intelligence Systems.  “I joined as a part time developer,” he recalls, “and it’s a funny story as to how I heard about the role. A member of my cohort during the Masters programme was complaining that he had been unsuccessful at a job interview. Despite his negativity, the job sounded interesting, so I asked him if he’d mind giving me the details. It took me a week of persisting, and finally he gave me an email address and I sent off my CV to tlmNexus. Even though it was the first interview I had ever attended in the UK, happily for me, I was successful.

“At around the same time as this, I was working part time in a very busy retail store to earn enough to support my studies, and out of the thousands of customers I served, one in particular asked me if I could pack his goods up for him. As I willingly did so, he discovered I was a software engineer studying for my Masters. I asked him what he did; he explained he was an entrepreneur. He gave me his business card and told me to get in touch. By the strangest coincidence, his company was situated opposite tlmNexus in Brighton.

“As a student, I was permitted to work for 20 hours a week, and found myself working part time for both organisations. I carried on working like this after my studies and was able to clear my student loan within a year.  It was a fascinating journey because I was using different technologies across the two organisations and picked up a lot of experience. After some time, tlmNexus offered me a full-time role, and allowed me to continue working for the other company in the evenings. For two years, I would work nine-to-five in one job, then do a 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift across the street. It was mad but it accelerated my knowledge and experience way beyond the average person at my stage of career. As I was the only developer at the time, I was also speaking to the users, capturing what they wanted to achieve and it laid the foundations for me to move into different roles as my career with tlmNexus progressed. As the company grew, the management encouraged me to step up, to learn new skills, and to take on new opportunities.”

That growth wasn’t just about writing code. The company was moving towards SaaS, (Software as a Service) and Kash recognised the importance of service management. This meant understanding not just what software does, but how it delivers long-term value to customers. Supported by management, he gained ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) certification and developed a new perspective: “I began thinking about sustainability, supportability, and customer value as much as functionality. That shift was transformative.”

Kash’s foundation was built on adaptability. “I was always moving between roles, solving different problems. That experience taught me how to approach challenges flexibly – something that’s stayed with me ever since.”

Influences and team culture

Kash credits his success to the culture at tlmNexus: “The leadership team gave me freedom to voice my opinions, disagree, and suggest better ways of doing things. That gave me confidence, and every discussion became an opportunity to learn.”

He singles out Andy Stevenson, co-founder, as a key influence: “Andy can turn his hand to so many things. That adaptability inspired me – you never think ‘this isn’t my job.’ You do what it takes to deliver, and that culture has shaped our whole team.”

Today, Kash is most proud of the team’s resilience and respect: “We face challenges together, share knowledge openly, and always listen to each other. It’s an environment built on trust and mutual respect.”

Balancing today and tomorrow

As CPO, Kash walks a fine line between responding to immediate customer needs and ensuring long-term product strategy. “For a long time, we focused too heavily on operational urgency – reacting to specific requests. That’s important, but not if it comes at the expense of strategic evolution. The real challenge is to balance both: keeping services true to their perceived value while capturing imaginations with new ideas.”

Customer input remains central: “Everyone has an opinion – users, customer-facing staff, market watchers. My role is to channel those voices, distil the insights, and decide what problem we’re solving and why. That way, we have a compelling case for where to focus next.”

Looking ahead

Right now, Kash is excited about steering new products such as Eco-Hub, the working title of an initiative which will act as an integration platform, pulling together tlmNexus products and customers’ existing systems to provide a single, powerful view. “It’s about giving customers clarity and control in one place – and that’s very influential.”

New technologies, especially AI, are firmly on his radar: “AI is about multiplying the value of our products. We’re currently exploring use cases that will benefit our customers and keep us aligned with the latest technology trends.”

What motivates Kash?

For Kash, the motivation is deeply personal: “I come from a family where having a good career means respect. I’m blessed to be doing work that uses my education and contributes to society. I genuinely love what I do – even chatting in a coffee shop, I find myself thinking and talking about value and growth.”

Outside of work, family time is everything: running around the house playing with his three children, or catching up with friends when time allows.

Interesting facts about Kash

• Most excited about? “Launching new products into the portfolio and seeing Eco-Hub gain traction.”
• Daily ritual? “As soon as I’ve brushed my teeth, I catch up with world news over a coffee.”
• Personal interests? “Thrillers and wartime films, programmes about science, space tech, astronomy and astrology, politics and finance – I do my own trading in the markets.”
• If you could develop any app? One that combined fitness and health tracking with predictions about what will happen if you don’t change your lifestyle, to motivate people to improve their habits.
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A word about leadership

Kash says, “Supported by tlmNexus, I recently did a one-year course in leadership for CTO’s (Chief Technical Officers), and did an exercise where we drew a graph about the highs and lows in our careers. Mine was one of the only ones that had a pretty smooth upward trajectory. We discussed why people have ups and downs and it’s because if you are not under the right leadership, however skilled you are, you will have a bumpier ride. I feel blessed to have been well-mentored under very positive leaders.”

Nearly two decades on, Kash’s journey with tlmNexus is still one of growth – for himself, his team, and the company. His story is a reminder of how the right culture, opportunities, and mindset can turn a developer into a Chief Product Officer shaping the future of defence support solutions.