Regional Head of Business Development, Americas · Weathernews Inc.

Jesse Vecchione

Weather and climate intelligence at the operational edge. Twenty years turning forecasts into decisions across shipping, aviation, energy, agriculture, logistics, and government — and the API customers building on the data.

Braintree, Massachusetts · Boston-based, globally on the road

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01 · About

From Cape Cod to Tokyo, and back.

I was born about a hundred meters from the ocean on Cape Cod. The water has been part of my life from the start. I studied meteorology in Vermont while working at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — one of the most respected ocean science institutions in the world. That pairing of atmospheric science and oceanography became the foundation for everything I've done since.

I joined Weathernews more than twenty years ago, and the job has taken me across three continents. I lived and worked in Japan for an extended period, with a stretch in Value Creation and Planning from 2009 to 2015. I led significant work in Europe, including helping to secure the WNI–Maersk agreement in 2015. And I've spent the last several years building the Americas business from Boston.

Along the way I've visited more than thirty-five countries, met with operators on every kind of vessel imaginable, walked terminals and trading floors, sat in ministry offices, and developed a working perspective on what is common across global industry — and what is specific to each market.

02 · What I do

Turning weather into action — across industries.

At Weathernews Inc., I work across the industries where weather and climate drive operational and financial decisions — shipping, aviation, energy, agriculture, logistics, ports and infrastructure, commodities, and government. I also lead our weather-API and data-services business in the region, working with companies that embed our intelligence directly inside their own platforms. Customers range from global shipowners and canal authorities to airlines, growers, energy operators, trading desks, logistics platforms, and federal agencies — across North, Central, and South America. The short version of the job is the same in every conversation: help them turn weather intelligence into action.

Jesse Vecchione at the Weathernews operations center — At the Weathernews operations center — Chiba, Japan.

SeaNavigator & SeaNavigator for Master

Flagship voyage planning and weather routing platforms — fleet mode and onboard.
Polar Routing & Polar Intelligence

Built for operators working in ice-affected waters.
Port Forecast & Site Forecast

High-resolution forecasts for port operations and fixed-site work.
Emissions Compliance

CII, EU MRV, and IMO DCS reporting and advisory.
OSR & Performance Monitoring

Optimum Ship Routing and continuous vessel performance analytics.
API & Data Services

For customers who want to embed our data inside their own platforms.
Seasonal & Sub-seasonal Forecasting

Increasingly central to how shipping, energy, and commodity businesses manage climate risk.
Service Strategy

Involved in WNI's consolidation of 57 services into 9 core offerings — reshaping how the company brings products to market.

03 · Selected highlights

A few things I'm proud of.

01

Twenty-plus years at Weathernews

Roles spanning European operations, Japan-based Value Creation and Planning, and Americas business development leadership.
02

U.S. Senate statement for the record

Submitted formal testimony to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries in support of the SHIPS for America Act — advocating for revitalizing U.S. commercial maritime.
03

SHIPPINGInsight Forum 2025

Presenter on weather intelligence and operational decision-making for global shipping.
04

External Reviewer, MassCEC

Engaging with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's offshore wind and clean energy ecosystem.
05

Routing impact at scale

Contributing to innovations that have meaningfully reduced fuel consumption and emissions across the global fleet.
06

Internal recognition

Weathernews Golden Glove and MVP awards.

04 · Writing & press

Talking shop in public.

In the press

On LinkedIn

05 · How I think about the work

Four ideas, after two decades in the industry.

Weather is decision intelligence, not data.

Data is cheap. Good decisions in complex operational environments are not. The companies that win are the ones who turn weather into action.

Human-in-the-loop is a feature, not a limitation.

I've worked alongside Japanese forecasters and engineers long enough to know that craftsmanship and judgment, paired with technology, produce outcomes that black-box algorithms can't match.

Every industry I touch is being reshaped at once.

Decarbonization, AI, geopolitical reshuffling of trade routes, climate risk hitting operations directly — every conversation, in every sector, touches at least one of these. The industries that move physical things — ships, planes, cargo, crops, energy, commodities — need partners who can think strategically and technically at the same time.

Proximity to customers matters.

I spend a lot of time in person with the people who actually run vessels and operations. It's the foundation of every credible commercial strategy I've built.

06 · Outside of work

What I'm into when the laptop closes.

My roots are on Cape Cod and in Woods Hole, and I still feel most at home near salt water. Beyond that, a handful of things keep me curious year after year.

Music: Playing, recording, and going to concerts. A lifelong thread.
Onsens: Two decades of work in Japan turned me into a serious connoisseur of hot springs.
Hiking: New England trails, mountain ranges abroad, the long quiet kind of walk.
Critical theory: Reading widely across philosophy and social theory — the stuff that asks why, not just how.
Futurology: Where technology, climate, and geopolitics are heading next — and what it means for the industries I work with.
Land development & investing: A long-standing personal interest, with a particular eye on the Massachusetts clean energy ecosystem.
Travel: Thirty-five countries and counting, mostly through work, occasionally on purpose.