Insider Brief
- Photonic Inc. has appointed Orlagh Neary as Chief Marketing Officer and Briony Shipman as Vice President of Global Government Affairs as the company expands its commercial and policy operations.
- Neary brings experience from Microsoft’s AI, cloud, and quantum ecosystem initiatives, while Shipman joins from Lloyds Banking Group and previously held leadership roles at GCHQ.
- The appointments follow Photonic’s $200 million+ investment round and ongoing efforts to advance distributed quantum computing commercialization.
Press release – Photonic Inc., a global leader in distributed quantum computing, today announced the appointments of Orlagh Neary as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Briony Shipman as Vice President, Global Government Affairs.
The strategic appointments of Neary and Shipman follow the final close of Photonic’s investment round in May 2026 of over $200M USD ($275M CAD) strengthening the company’s commercial and policy depth as it accelerates commercialization of distributed quantum computing.
“Photonic was founded on the belief that quantum computing can have global meaning and global impact. Our approach gives us the technical foundation to scale, and we know that companies who create enduring value are the ones that build the market alongside the technology. Orlagh and Briony bring the commercial, policy, and ecosystem expertise to help translate Photonic’s innovation into the partnerships, trust, and outcomes that will define quantum’s next chapter,” said Don Mattrick, CEO, Photonic Inc.
Neary joins Photonic Inc. from Microsoft, where she spent over two decades building and scaling global thought leadership and go-to-market functions for complex emerging technologies, from enterprise AI and cloud to quantum computing. Most recently she served as General Manager of Microsoft Quantum and AI Ecosystem Engagement. She is also the founder of The ORB Network Foundation, a professional community dedicated to advancing women in business and leadership.
“For quantum to deliver on its potential, the technology and the ecosystem need to advance together. Having worked alongside Photonic as a Microsoft partner, I saw firsthand that this team is pioneering the architecture that gets quantum to the scale where it becomes genuinely useful. We are now doubling down on ecosystem engagement, elevating what sets Photonic apart, and working alongside partners to help shape how quantum technologies deliver meaningful, real-world impact,” said Orlagh Neary, CMO, Photonic Inc.
Shipman joins Photonic Inc. most recently from Lloyds Banking Group where she was head of Cyber and Physical Defence, Data Security and Supply Chain. Prior to that, Briony spent 14 years in the intelligence community working for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). Starting as an Arabic linguist, she held a range of operational, policy and technical leadership roles, working extensively with the UK’s allies in the Five Eyes, including a 3.5 year posting as Head of Liaison to Canada.
“My experience building relationships with governments and working within complex policy environments around the world is a perfect fit for Photonic’s global ambitions. This company understands that public-private collaboration is fundamental to how quantum computing will be commercialized and scaled. Photonic’s position in the global quantum ecosystem provides exciting opportunities for partnerships and growth,” added Briony Shipman, VP, Global Government Affairs, Photonic Inc.
In late 2025, Photonic Inc. announced it had advanced to Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, having successfully met Stage A requirements with its unique qubit modality and architecture. Photonic Inc. has also been selected for the Canadian Quantum Champions Program (Phase 1), a new Government of Canada initiative aimed at accelerating the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing.
