Sedna Names Jacob Koch Blicher Vice President of Customer Success
We’re excited to share the promotion of Jacob Koch Blicher to Vice President of Customer Success.
A former shipping industry executive with two decades of maritime operations experience, Jacob steps into this newly expanded leadership role to lead Sedna's global customer success organisation - overseeing the team's strategy, culture, and day-to-day delivery for customers across the shipping and trading sectors.
From Customer to Colleague
Jacob joined Sedna after spending two decades on the operational and commercial side of maritime and trading - giving him firsthand experience as a Sedna customer before he ever moved to the vendor side of the business.
"Being on the buyer side of the software, it is so important that these things work right," says Jacob. "Email and the VMS are the two core systems you use - you can live without a lot of other things, but if those two don't work, it will simply stop. You understand exactly what customers are talking about, because you've been part of that industry."
That background gives Jacob a distinctive perspective on the needs of maritime customers, and on where Sedna's customer success function can continue to raise the bar. Speed, responsiveness, and direct relationships, he says, will remain top priorities for the team going forward.
Relationships First
"Having a phone call with customers is something that's not so well known in SaaS industries - it's usually a support ticket, or maybe an AI chat bot," he says. "But this industry is built on relationships. It's the most important thing — to stay close to your customers, understand where they're moving, and make sure they understand where we're moving, too."
Looking Ahead to AI
Jacob also plans to focus on how Sedna helps customers apply artificial intelligence to their operations - an area he expects to see significant growth across the maritime sector in the coming year.
"I don't think the maritime industry has really understood the power of AI yet," he said, "but within the next 12 months, it's going to be much more widely used and understood."
A Team-First Mindset
On team culture, Jacob said he intends to prioritise collaboration and support across all levels of the organisation.
"You can only deliver for customers if you have a high performing happy team," he said. "A strong team, good teamwork, and a healthy culture - if you have that, you can deliver on everything else."
Fun Fact
Jacob’s favourite ship is the tugboat. "It's a very overlooked but key function," he says. "The big ships can't get in and out of port without them. If you don't have the tug, a lot of trade will simply stop." He has spent time aboard tugboats, driven one himself, and negotiated tug contracts earlier in his career.
Please join us in congratulating Jacob!
