Building a new world of potential.

Dr. Paul Terry leads the team at Photonic. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, engineer, and angel investor specializing in disruptive technologies. Paul advises VCs and governments on economic, technical, health, and national defense strategies.

During his career, Paul has founded or been a founding employee at six successful Canadian companies with a cumulative valuation of more than $10B. Past roles include CEO of PHEMI, CTO Canada of Cray Supercomputing (OctigaBay), CTO of Abatis (Ericsson), and Director of Strategy at Newbridge Networks (Alcatel). Paul holds a 1st Class Honors Degree in Physics/Engineering, and a Ph. D in Engineering from Liverpool University. He holds an MBA from Cranfield University.

Dr. Stephanie Simmons is the Founder and Chief Quantum Officer at Photonic, driving the technical vision for next-generation quantum technologies based on photonically-linked silicon spin qubits. She is a world-leading expert in quantum technologies, silicon spin-photon interfaces, condensed matter spin dynamics and control, silicon-integrated photonics, and quantum optics.

Stephanie is the co-chair of the advisory board to Canada’s National Quantum Strategy, a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Silicon Quantum Technologies, and a Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Fellow in Quantum Information Science. She is also an Associate Professor at the Department of Physics at Simon Fraser University (SFU) where she leads the Silicon Quantum Technology research group.

Stephanie is an international speaker with over 30 publications, 60 keynote and panel talks, and numerous patents. Her work on developing CMOS-compatible, scalable quantum technologies was awarded a Physics World Top Ten Breakthrough of the Year in 2013, and again in 2015. She has been recognized with an Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship and as a Top 40 Under 40 in Canada. Stephanie has been a reviewer for Nature, Science, Physical Review, NSERC, CRC, and more, and her work has been covered by the CBC, BBC, Wired Magazine, Scientific American, the New Scientist, and the New York Times.

Sarah Boatman oversees the financial vision and operating strategies to drive Photonic’s sustainable growth. An inspiring leader who builds inclusive teams, Sarah fosters a growth mindset in every organization she leads.

Before joining Photonic, Sarah was on the senior leadership team at Microsoft Studios in Vancouver as the Director of Business Development and Strategy. She joined Microsoft through the acquisition of BigPark, where she was the Chief Financial and Operating Officer. Before joining BigPark, she was the Director, Financial Planning and Analysis for Electronic Arts.

Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant of British Columbia.

Alison Berg holds over 20 years of strategic HR and people experience, having co-founded and worked for several of Canada’s most innovative companies in big data, telecommunications, and high-performance computing. She is known for her ability to bring high-functioning teams together and to deliver strategic programs that engage and deliver results.

Alison holds an MBA in Marketing, a BA in English, and an HR certificate. She delivered both HR and marketing strategies at Abatis, acquired by Redback Networks (now Ericsson) for over $1B. Alison co-founded OctigaBay, a supercomputing startup acquired by Cray for $155M, as well as an eco e-commerce business. She positioned PHEMI as a leading player in big data, and led marketing at Innovation Boulevard, a health tech accelerator.

Neysa leads Photonic’s legal strategy drawing on her experience as a trusted advisor having provided in-house and external legal services and strategic business advice to companies ranging from Fortune 50 to well-funded start-ups.

Prior to joining Photonic, Neysa owned a successful consulting business advising clients supplying technology solutions in many industries with global initiatives on six continents. She has a proven track record negotiating complex transactions for leading edge technology companies.

Neysa holds a JD/LLB and MBA from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor of Arts (applied studies – computer science/political science) from the University of Waterloo and a certificate in International Development from the University of British Columbia. She is called to the Bars of British Columbia and Ontario. Neysa has honed her governance skills serving on multiple for-profit and non-profit boards and is a member of the Institute for Corporate Directors. She currently serves on the Board of Providence Healthcare (PHC) as chair of Innovation, Academics and Research, chair of PHC Ventures, and a trustee of PHC Research Institute.

Globetrotting Neysa has visited 118 countries.

Jessi Hodgson brings over 17 years of experience in the Human Resources and Talent space, spanning large corporations to small, innovative startups. She has spent the last 11 years working in the tech space in Canada – building, scaling, and growing global teams at companies like Hootsuite, Later, and Fatigue Science.

She is known for her ability to scale organizations while building a culture of success and growth. She has built programs in all areas of talent, including performance management, succession planning, talent acquisition and employer brand, and leadership development.

Jessi holds a Bachelor of Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University in Arts and Contemporary Studies and a minor in Human Resources.