Building a new world of potential.

In 2016, after decades of research, Dr. Stephanie Simmons and Dr. Michael Thewalt founded Photonic with one goal in mind: to deliver on the promise of quantum computing by making a fault-tolerant quantum computer a reality.

People working in the lab at Photonic

Leveraging T centres to harness the compute power of spins and the communication capabilities of photons, Photonic is delivering on that promise.

Pioneering Quantum's Future

The Photonic team, comprising top physicists, engineers, and business leaders from around the world, is working tirelessly to bring about the era of fault-tolerant quantum computing sooner than the industry predicts.
Technology

Innovation the world over.

  • Photonic team member working

Photonic is headquartered in Canada, with global teams in the US, the UK, and throughout Europe. This allows us to effectively harness the talents of top experts from around the world.

Our Leadership Team

Facing the future, together.

  • Dr. Paul Terry
    Chief Executive Officer
  • Dr. Stephanie Simmons
    Chief Quantum Officer
  • Sarah Boatman
    Chief Financial and Operating Officer
  • Alison Berg
    VP, People & Communications

Dr. Paul Terry

Chief Executive Officer

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

Chief Quantum Officer

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

Chief Financial and Operating Officer

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

VP, People & Communications

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.

Market Forecast

Innovation meets acceleration.

* (McKinsey & Company, Quantum Technology monitor, April 2023)

Size of the quantum technology market by 2040
$106B
Total government investment announced to date
$34B
Estimated Quantum Computing Market Size by 2040
$9B - $93B
Estimated Quantum Communications Market Size by 2040
$1B - $7B