Quantum Australia, the national centre for quantum industry growth, today announced the appointment of Petra Andrén as Chief Executive Officer. Ms Andrén brings extensive experience in scaling high-growth technology ventures and accelerating innovation ecosystems, with particular expertise in deep tech commercialisation.

Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment in the global quantum landscape, as countries race to establish leadership in a technology set to transform a wide range of industries from cybersecurity and healthcare to advanced manufacturing and space. At Quantum Australia, she will drive efforts to strengthen Australia’s position as a quantum powerhouse, uniting industry, academia, and government through strategic collaboration.

We are delighted to welcome Petra Andrén as the inaugural CEO of Quantum Australia,” said Peter Rossdeutscher AM, Chair of the Board at Quantum Australia. “Petra’s deep commercial expertise and commitment to innovation will play a pivotal role in accelerating the growth of Australia’s quantum industry. Her leadership will help us unlock new opportunities and strengthen Australia’s position on the global quantum stage.

Ms Andrén has extensive international experience and is widely recognised for her leadership in innovation ecosystem building, early-stage VC tech investment and as the former CEO of Cicada Innovations, Australia’s premier deep technology incubator. There, her visionary leadership earned global acclaim in 2018 when Cicada was recognised as the “Best Incubator in the World” by inBIA, thanks to innovative and highly successful models for research commercialisation and seed investment in emerging tech sectors via the micro VC fund Bizcapital.

The quantum race is well and truly underway, and Australia has a unique window of opportunity to stake its claim as a global leader,” said Ms Andrén. “With world-class research and a rapidly growing industry, we must act decisively to translate our quantum expertise into real-world impact. I’m excited to work with our partners to build a thriving quantum ecosystem that delivers economic and societal benefits for all Australians.

Quantum Australia was established with an $18.4 million federal government grant under the Australian Centre for Quantum Growth (ACQG) program. With additional support from state governments and a consortium of national universities, the organisation is focused on accelerating the development and adoption of quantum technology in Australia.

Australia consistently ranks among the world’s top five nations for high-impact quantum research and quantum computing patents, with one of the largest quantum workforces globally. Ms Andrén will play a crucial role in translating this momentum into tangible industry growth and global influence. Her official start date is 1 May 2025.