By Dan O’Shea posted 08 Nov 2022
Q-CTRL, the provider of software and quantum control engineering solutions with corporate bases in Australia, the U.S., and Germany, has formally announced the hirings today of Kelly Gurr as Head of Marketing and Donna Hacker as Head of Finance.
Both positions were newly created this year, providing more evidence of how quantum start-ups are evolving from their academic roots and heavy focus on technology R&D to round out their organizational leadership with seasoned business management talent.
The additions of Gurr and Hacker bring Q-CTRL’s leadership team to five new members in 2022. The most recent addition before this announcement was Alex Shih, announced as Head of Product back in August. On their respective LinkedIn profiles, both Gurr and Hacker list themselves as having been with Q-CTRL since August.
Gurr will lead Q-CTRL’s marketing efforts across Australia, the U.S. and Europe and work closely across all multidisciplinary global functions – from product, research, operations and more – to make quantum technology accessible to broader audiences, according to a Q-CTRL statement Hacker will lead, manage and build all facets of Q-CTRL’s accounting and financial endeavors to enable the long-term health and financial stability of the company and achieve strong financial performance, the statement added.
Gurr is based out of Melbourne, Australia, and with 20 years of experience in marketing, has a history working for technology start-ups, developing solutions for B2B customers and translating product benefits into relatable stories. In a past job, she repositioned a flagship ANZ accounting software product to a cloud SaaS model, greatly increasing subscriptions and utilization; built a high performance marketing team to deliver growth for a scaling print management software business; and launched a construction management software business into new markets to create additional revenue streams in North America and ANZ.
“I am passionate about businesses doing something new in their field, pushing the boundaries, and creating solutions that provide significant value, so I was intrigued by Q-CTRL’s approach to making quantum technology more accessible to customers who are solving real-world challenges,” said Gurr.
Meanwhile, Hacker, with 31 years of experience in finance, is based in California. She has managed financial operations for organizations across many different industries, building systems and teams and putting best practices and policies in place to support business goals. The statement said she has obtained operational efficiencies via upscaling, downsizing, reorgs and mergers as well as guided colleagues in scaling staffing and expenses to ensure strong year-over-year top-line growth while managing profitability. She also has managed investment activities that led to several key acquisitions and mergers.
“Quantum technology’s potential to accelerate innovation and revolutionize how we do everything, from science to financial markets to logistics and more, inspired me to take on the new role,” said Hacker.
“Kelly’s global consumer knowledge and expertise will help us understand market needs and build awareness of our quantum control solutions to new industries, and Donna’s financial expertise will enable us to meet our ambitious financial goals and elevate our business to the next level,” said Q-CTRL founder and CEO Professor Michael J. Biercuk.
Dan O’Shea has covered telecommunications and related topics including semiconductors, sensors, retail systems, digital payments and quantum computing/technology for over 25 years.
