Veteran ocean freight executive to help guide freight data and analytics company Xeneta towards further growth
Xeneta, an ocean and air freight rate benchmarking, market analytics platform, and container shipping index, has announced that Jesper Kjaedegaard is a new board member. Kjaedegaard is a noted ocean freight expert and independent board member of several maritime-related companies and most notably served as a senior executive in the Maersk Group for 30 years.
“Jesper’s vision for a more transparent shipping industry aligns nicely with ours. His clear understanding of how a universal container price reference point benefits all shipping industry stakeholders and what is needed to make it a reality makes him the perfect fit to join our board,” said Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund. “Jesper’s prior experience in driving change, removing inefficiencies through data, and instilling collaboration from all industry players will be instrumental in helping us continue scaling our growth strategically and effectively. We look forward to Jesper’s guidance as he’ll be a valuable asset to the board.”
Jesper Kjaedegaard has more than 40 years of ocean freight industry experience and has planned and directed ocean transportation services and port development projects around the world. As a past senior vice president and member of Maersk Line’s executive board, Kjaedegaard was directly responsible for managing Maersk Line’s global vessel network as well as pricing and was highly influential in the development of INTTRA, which today is the Liner industry’s leading booking platform.
Kjaedegaard is past president of the UK Chamber of Shipping and Chairman of Maritime UK. He has served as a non-executive board director for a number of both listed and privately-owned transport-related companies in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. This includes V-Group, Hafnia Tankers, Stobart Group, Red Sea Gateway Terminals, Seatruck Ferries, Essar Group, APMT Bahrain, and BIMCO.
“I am thrilled to be joining such an innovative and passionate group of industry professionals,” said Xeneta board member Jesper Kjaedegaard. “The continued digital transformation of the ocean and air freight industry is of critical importance to both shippers, freight forwarders as well as carriers. The broken state of the global supply chain has led to significant disruptions, unreliable transport capacities, and incalculable replenishment times. Being able to access reliable data in real-time is more important now than ever before, and Xeneta is leading the way.”
In recent months, Xeneta has closed a $28.5 million Series C round, received a valuation of over $130 million, appointed Peter Sand as Chief Analyst and welcomed several new customers onto its platform, including General Mills, Volvo, John Deere, Amer Sports, Rockwell Automation and CEVA Logistics—all looking to gain better market visibility into freight rate pricing factors and minimize the supply chain disruptions. Other noted names that rely on Xeneta’s crowd-sourced ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and market analytics platform include ABB, Electrolux, Continental, Unilever, Nestle, L’Oréal, Thyssenkrupp, and more.
