Meet Morten Kragh Jensen

We’re thrilled to bring you another installment of our interview series, Inside the Minds of FareHarbor Leadership. Get ready, you are about to learn more about Morten Kragh Jensen, FareHarbor’s Head of Design!

In this series, you hear directly from members of the FareHarbor leadership team about their journey within the company, some personal anecdotes, and their favorite FareHarbor features and experiences!  

When did you start at FareHarbor and how have you progressed since the beginning of your career at the company?

I joined FareHarbor in July of 2021 as the Head of Design. It’s been a busy first year building out the team and getting fully embedded into all FareHarbor products and services.

What is your favorite aspect of your role within FareHarbor? 

One of my favorite aspects has to be the never-ending learning curve. Everyday I discover something new about our clients and how they use our products and services. 

Furthermore, seeing the impact we can create for our clients and their companies is very powerful to observe every day. Uncovering our clients’ needs based on our interactions has to be up there as well, hearing their feedback is always eye opening!

How does your role and your team support FareHarbor clients?

Together with our Product team, we look at what clients are trying to accomplish; you know, where they’re running into problems doesn’t always tell you why. When we combine different things that we hear from clients and triangulate both the quantitative data and the qualitative data, we can figure out the kinds of problems clients are having. 

Then, we can bring in all the other stakeholders outside of the Design area and problem solve on how to make the experience better and how to get clients excited. Throughout the process, we collaborate closely with our Product team and our Product Managers, as these are joint efforts to ensure that we are prioritizing working on the projects that create the most value for our clients.

One could simply say that together with the Product team, we are the voices of the clients’ needs and hereby create empathy for clients regionally and globally.

One of the ways we are doing this is by interacting with clients through interviews, observations, and user testing of new product updates in order to deliver better product updates that create more value for all clients

What does a typical day look like in your position? 

A typical day for me starts with an hour at the gym to clear my mind and get ready for the day ahead. On the way out of the gym I normally grab a coffee to drink as I bike through Amsterdam to the office. 

At the office, I start by going through my inbox. That is then normally followed up by a check in with our Head of Product and our CPO to align on roadmaps and project statuses to ensure that we are on time and to flag if we need more time on projects.

I then do some design reviews and sit down with our researcher or designers to talk through current projects and how they are coming along. Then, it’s back to meetings with our stakeholders to ensure that we are aligned across the company. Normally I manage to get a 15- minute coffee talk with some of my wonderful colleagues and then it’s time to jump on calls with my team members in Denver and San Francisco to end my day. 

As the Head of Design, what project are you most proud of that you have worked on or are currently working on?

I am proud of how the Design team works together with the rest of the company which is not to be taken for granted! 

Most notably, I am proud of the work we have done around dynamic pricing, it’s a big project and we have more to come within the area (more details on this coming soon!). 

Anything you can mention for what is in store for clients in the upcoming months or year?

I can’t say too much as many of the new product updates are still in process (come to Spark to learn more!). What I will say is that together with our Product team we have been working hard on some key elements of the product that we strongly believe will create great value for all clients across the globe. So, stay tuned and be on the lookout for our updates and emails during the next 6 months. 

What attribute(s) makes a good FareHarbor leader?

Leave your ego at the door! Having the ability to see everyone at the company eye to eye is hugely important as a leader at FareHarbor. You have to stay open minded to new ways of thinking and doing things. The mindset of “that’s how we have always done it” simply doesn’t apply at FareHarbor. Lastly, you have to be able to see the bigger picture, meaning zooming out of your own department and seeing things from a larger perspective.

What can you say to someone thinking of jump starting their career at FareHarbor? Any advice on how to get into a SaaS career?

Buckle up! SaaS is a fast moving world and you need to bring your A game everyday, as the learning curve is never ending and you have to be willing to constantly stay open minded to new ideas and new ways of doing things. 

Having said that, FareHarbor is a great place to get your foot in the door. We offer many opportunities across the company and once you are part of the ‘Ohana we do our utmost to harvest your unique skills and apply them to our teams and clients.

What is your favorite FareHarbor experience you have been to?

I have had the privilege to meet some of our wonderful Clients over the last year and one visit that sticks out is my visit to Apukka Resort in Rovaniemi, Finland. 

An internal experience that sticks out was a recent visit to our office in Denver, CO, where a member of the Design team and I were welcomed with open arms and the classic ‘Ohana feeling. Nothing feels better than to walk into any of our offices globally and instantly feel at home!    

Looking for more insight from FareHarbor leadership? Stay tuned for more interviews coming soon!