At AXSMarine, Jacques is the approachable and visionary leader who plays a pivotal role in our company's journey. With a practical commitment to innovation and a genuine focus on building strong teams, he guides us toward excellence in the maritime industry.

How do you see AXSMarine evolving in the next 5 years and how will you contribute to that growth?

We're expanding through strategic investments to enhance our value proposition in the commodities and financial markets. This includes reaching out to traders, hedge funds, and systematic funds. In my role as a CEO, this emphasis guides our talent recruitment strategy to seek professionals in quantitative fields, data science, and highly skilled analysts with extensive experience.

What motivated you to pursue a career in the maritime industry?

Curiosity! After a degree in biochemistry, I engaged in a career as a professional racing car driver. When ending it, I had multiple options for a next job. The maritime industry happened to be one, actually the only one I had no single clue about. I received a shipbroker job offer. I just didn't want to say “No” to that opportunity and I responded OK as a matter of curiosity. A strong factor of traction was the commercial challenges and that gut feeling it was a lot about interacting with interesting people.
I had an early taste for quality information and quality systems to manage it for bringing real value and visibility with Alphaliner in 2000.
I gradually moved from my 24 years of being a shipbroker to getting deeply involved in AXSMarine which I was a board member of. My passion for AXSMarine's direction and strategy led the shareholders to offer me the CEO role which I gladly accepted, completely exiting shipbroking then.

Which is the easiest way to deal with failures?

Keep these in the back of your mind to avoid repeating these experiences, but don’t turn back, always look ahead!
As a note, my father had a saying whereby “experience is a sum of failures” and as experience grows you use that experience to minimize failures.

What is your favorite hobby? 

Motor racing.
I often compare what AXSMarine produces to the making of a racing car that needs a balanced chassis, a powerful engine and proper fuel to make it run and compete.
The chassis = IT systems, as a nest to all applications = engine, and the data = fuel.
Yet, it needs a pilot and here, the pilot is all AXSMarine team members working together.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

Reflecting on life's journey, a very generic saying articulated around 3 words comes to my mind: allocate all your energy with faith into your convictions. This maxim, simple yet potent, carries the essence of focus, determination, and unwavering belief in oneself.