Chester Kennedy (pictured) will be president of research and security solutions, said Cold Quanta, and Barry Behnken will be executive VP of engineering.
Scott Faris, ColdQuanta CEO, said: “ColdQuanta is at an inflection point in its growth and we are strategically building out our leadership team to more rapidly commercialise our quantum products and services.”
Kennedy said: “ColdQuanta has demonstrated early leadership in helping government entities advance quantum initiatives – on Earth and in space.”
He added: “As a member of the leadership team, I am eager to help the US become the dominant force in quantum and advance innovative approaches to the challenges facing our nation. We have a huge opportunity to establish a leadership position that will help our country and its allies gain and retain a formidable competitive advantage.”
He will focus on areas such as sensors, quantum RF, and services that enable new applications of quantum derived technologies. He was earlier VP and chief engineer for mission systems and training at Lockheed Martin, and also VP of engineering for global training and logistics.
Behnken will lead and develop engineering teams across ColdQuanta’s three divisions – quantum computing, quantum research as a service and ColdAtom Technologies.
His background includes what ColdQuanta called “quantum-adjacent technologies”, including optical engineering, laser detection and ranging, space systems engineering, autonomous vehicles, and computational and laser physics.
Faris said: “The leadership track record of Barry and Chester is impressive. Their experience managing teams at today’s most innovative technology companies make them uniquely qualified to lead their teams at ColdQuanta.”
