The inaugural CEO of Canada’s primary quantum computing industry group is stepping down at the end of the month.
The news: Quantum Industry Canada, which represents dozens of quantum companies across the country, announced today that CEO Lisa Lambert is leaving at the end of June to pursue a “new career opportunity.” Chief of staff Sean Lee, who leads communications and engagement at particle accelerator centre TRIUMF, will take over as interim CEO.
From the source: Lambert, who has led the organization since 2023, said her time at QIC was one of the great privileges of her professional life.
“There is tremendous momentum behind quantum in Canada and around the world, and I have every confidence in Sean Lee, the QIC team, and the broader community as QIC continues advancing its mission,” Lambert wrote to BetaKit in an email on Thursday. Though she’s not ready to announce the details of her next opportunity, she said the move “felt like the right next challenge at this stage of my career.”
Following the thread: The leadership transition comes after QIC, which was first founded in 2019, successfully lobbied for significant movement in the quantum technology portfolio within Canadian innovation policy. Canada recently launched its own quantum “champions” program to keep promising domestic firms headquartered here, which was a recommendation found in QIC’s pre-budget submission last fall. As a result, firms including Toronto’s Xanadu and Vancouver’s Photonic received $23 million in up-front funding. The feds also allocated $334.3 million to advancing the technology over the next five years.
Final thought: AI and digital innovation minister Evan Solomon thanked Lambert for her service in a news release today. As the federal government champions a handful of quantum tech companies—all of whom are QIC members—it’s likely that the association will continue to play a key role in shaping innovation policy.
Feature image courtesy Quantum Industry Canada.