My Story
A journey from science to entrepreneurship, leadership, and love.
The Scientist
I’ve always been drawn to big questions — the kind that sit at the edge of what we know. That curiosity led me into physics and eventually to a PhD in Experimental Quantum Physics at Royal Holloway, University of London, under the supervision of Phil Meeson. My work was based at the National Physical Laboratory, where I was supervised and photographed by Tobias Lindström.
Those years taught me rigour, resilience, and patience — the life of an experimentalist is one of broken equipment, failed measurements, and long nights chasing signals at the edge of noise. Scientists, I’ve learned, must be optimists at heart: to keep going in the face of doubt, to believe in the impossible.
The Entrepreneur
I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. Before quantum, I cut my teeth in two early ventures: The Behaviouralist, a Yale University–associated company using behavioural nudges to reduce fuel usage; and Snap Out, a University of Surrey spin-out tackling diabetic retinopathy through medical imaging. Those experiences gave me a taste for building at the intersection of science, technology, and impact.
In 2017, I was headhunted to become the founding CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC), a spin-out from the University of Oxford. At that time, it was just Peter Leek, a patent on a piece of paper, and the spark of an idea. I was the first hire, building the company from scratch — raising early capital, creating infrastructure, and persuading brilliant people to take a leap into the unknown.
Over seven years, I raised £100m+ from seed through Series B, scaled to 120+ people, launched Europe’s first quantum cloud service, and deployed the first quantum computer in a data centre in Japan with Equinix. I led the company through the pandemic and through countless challenges and breakthroughs — but what I am proudest of is how we built. We proved you can scale hard tech with love, and values-led leadership at its core.
In 2025, I made the difficult but deliberate choice to step away. Leaving the company I had poured so much of myself into was never going to be easy, but it was the right time — for me, for the business, and for the next chapter. Sometimes leadership means knowing when to let go.
I remain, and always will be, an entrepreneur. Today I’m exploring opportunities at the founding stage — whether building something of my own or joining the right mission as a CEO from the start. As a second-time founder, I’m excited to build again with the right people, the right mission, and the values I know scale.
The Feminist
Alongside building companies, I also carried the weight of being a woman in tech. I’ve walked into boardrooms where I was the only woman, had my expertise second-guessed, been spoken over, dismissed, and had to fight for the credibility that should have been obvious.
My feminism isn’t abstract — it comes from lived experience. From navigating ecosystems where double standards persist, to watching talented women pushed aside, to experiencing firsthand how bias still shapes who gets heard and who gets funded.
At the same time, I recognise my own privilege — as a white, educated woman who’s been able to access opportunities many others cannot. That recognition fuels my commitment to a wider lens on diversity and inclusion: not only gender, but race, class, sexuality, and the intersections between them.
That’s why I champion diversity not as a “nice to have” but as a strategic advantage and a moral imperative. I’ve invested time mentoring the next generation, supporting confidence programmes for women and underrepresented groups, and speaking out about the changes our industry still needs.
The Advisor & Voice
I serve as a trusted advisor at the intersection of deep tech, leadership, and national security — working with founders, boards, and policymakers on their highest-stakes decisions. From guiding startups through fundraising and scale-up, to shaping government strategy on emerging technologies, to helping boards build high-performing teams, I focus on doing the hard things well: with clarity, courage, and values at the centre.
I’ve also had the privilege of stepping into rooms and conversations that shape the world we live in. From briefing government ministers and prime ministers, to sitting on stage and facilitating moments I’ll never forget — including the final public speech of Jeremy Fleming, then Director of GCHQ.
Whether behind closed doors or under bright lights, my role is the same: to bring calm, clarity, and conviction. To make the complex human. To spark connection. And to inspire action.
The Creator
At heart, I am also an artist. Music was my first language — I’ve played piano for as long as I can remember — and storytelling runs through everything I do.
I write Fables from the Frontlines, modern parables drawn from my own journey in entrepreneurship and leadership, blending philosophy with the raw truths of building at the edge. I capture the world through photography, move through it with dance, and always return to music as a grounding force.
Creating, for me, isn’t separate from science or business — it’s the same impulse: to imagine something new, to bring it into being, and to share it in a way that touches others.
The Human
Beyond the titles and companies, I’m also just me. A pianist. A photographer. A sister. A traveller who lives for experiences, not possessions. Someone who believes in building with love, not fear.
My story is still being written, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s this: the future belongs to those brave enough to imagine it — and kind enough to build it well.
