Cogna appoints Ed Hill as Vice President of Revenue

Cogna has appointed Ed Hill as Vice President of Revenue. He joins from Bazaarvoice.

The appointment comes as the London- and Austin-based AI software company expands its commercial operations across the UK, Europe and the US following a USD $15 million Series A round.

Hill has more than 25 years of experience in enterprise software sales and commercial leadership. At Bazaarvoice, he spent five and a half years as Senior Vice President and General Manager, EMEA, leading the regional business through a period of sustained growth.

Cogna said the EMEA business outperformed all other regions for five consecutive years. During that time, Hill shifted the commercial approach from product-led sales to a model focused on customer transformation outcomes.

Before Bazaarvoice, Hill led SAP's UK sales organisation, where he oversaw the transition of major enterprise customers from on-premise software systems to cloud subscription models.

Growth plans

At Cogna, Hill will lead efforts to scale the global commercial organisation. His remit also includes creating a framework to measure the business outcomes delivered for customers.

The business was founded in 2023 by Ben Peters, who previously co-founded autonomous driving company FiveAI. Bosch acquired FiveAI in 2022.

Cogna develops custom AI tools for companies in utilities, manufacturing and logistics, where businesses often rely on specialist systems and complex operating processes. Its customers include Cadent Gas, Ocado, Network Plus and Tropicana.

Cogna employs around 60 people across London and Austin. Its Series A round was led by Notion Capital, with participation from Hoxton Ventures and Chalfen Ventures.

Leadership hire

Peters outlined why the company hired Hill at this stage of its development.

"The best commercial leaders I've met don't sell software, they sell the change it creates. Ed has built a 25-year career on that principle, and his track record at Bazaarvoice and SAP speaks for itself. This is exactly the muscle we need as Cogna scales into the most operationally critical industries in the world, and he joins at a key point in our growth journey," said Ben Peters, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Cogna.

Customer focus

Hill said the move reflects a wider shift in how customers judge enterprise software companies.

"The shift from selling software to delivering transformation is the defining commercial challenge of this generation of enterprise technology. Cogna is already doing this for some of the most operationally complex businesses in the world, and the opportunity to scale that is what drew me here," said Hill.