The quantum computing technology company Photonic Inc. announced new appointments to its Board of Directors, with Alex van Someren, Don Mattrick, Nathan Medlock, and Ashton Scordo joining the board to work alongside existing members such as founder Dr. Stephanie Simmons and CEO Dr. Paul Terry. These changes aim to strengthen the company's capabilities in technology, investment, and business leadership to advance its scalable, distributed quantum computing solutions.
Alex van Someren returns as an independent director and assumes the role of Executive Chairman. He is a British computing entrepreneur and venture capitalist, having founded the hardware encryption company nCipher and served as the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor for National Security. van Someren previously led Amadeus Capital Partners' initial investment in Photonic and briefly served on the board in 2021.
Don Mattrick will serve as Vice Chairman. He brings extensive executive leadership experience, having served as CEO of Zynga, President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, and President of Worldwide Studios at Electronic Arts. He is currently Co-Founder and Co-President of MdGB Capital.
Nathan Medlock is the Managing Partner of Planet First Partners, the lead investor in Photonic's latest funding round. With over 30 years of experience in private equity, mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, government advisory, and C-level operational roles, Medlock brings direct investment and operational expertise to the board.
Ashton Scordo is the Managing Director of Venture & Growth at British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), which manages C$295 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025. As a long-term investor in Photonic, Scordo's perspective gained from investing in funds and growth-stage companies with a clear path to long-term success is considered a significant asset.
Photonic CEO Paul Terry stated, "These appointments add significant depth in technology, investment, sustainability, and global business leadership. We are delighted to welcome Nathan, Ashton, Don, and Alex to the board. We are actively pursuing technology and corporate development to best position Photonic to deliver value through scalable, distributed quantum technology."
Executive Chairman Alex van Someren said, "I am thrilled to expand my commitment to Photonic Inc. After initially leading a significant investment in the company in 2021, I have continued to be impressed by their technical prowess and engineering achievements as the company moves ever closer to delivering data center-scale quantum computing. The unique fundamental proposition of combining qubits manufactured using standard silicon wafer fabrication technology with easily switchable telecom-wavelength photon interconnects suggests that Photonic Inc. will be a category winner in delivering fully scalable quantum computing. Even though we have raised nearly $300 million to date, continued investor interest indicates I am not alone in recognizing our strategic dominance. We look forward to demonstrating the power of Photonic Inc.'s solutions at scale in the future."
Concurrently, Nanon De Gaspé Beaubien-Mattrick and Gordon Fyfe have stepped down from the board. Their leadership and dedication during their tenure played a vital role in the company's progress.
