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Petra Andrén

Petra Andrén

Petra is a recognised innovation leader and venture builder, currently serving as CEO of Quantum Australia. With more than 25 years of global experience across advanced technology sectors and markets, she is now spearheading the development of a nationally coordinated quantum ecosystem—positioning Australia at the forefront of global quantum innovation and economic impact promoting quantum tech as a productivity multiplier.   

Her work is focused on ecosystem building, supporting the translation of quantum research into real-world applications—connecting academia, startups, investors, industry, and government to unlock the transformative potential of quantum computing, sensing, communications, and cybersecurity.  Petra’s cross-sector career spans global corporates, venture capital, startups, and public policy. As former CEO of Cicada Innovations, recognised as the World’s best Incubator in 2018 by InBia, she built a leading deep-tech incubator, supporting hundreds of science-driven ventures. She launched the country’s first PhD startup internship and led national accelerator programs in medtech and agrifoodtech, financially backing over 30 IP-rich companies feeding into the incubator for longer term support and follow-on capital.  She also built Australia’s largest early-stage deep-tech VC portfolio at the time, curated the nation’s first Biohackathon, and brought the Nobel Gala to Sydney—celebrating the convergence of science, creativity, and innovation.   

Internationally, Petra has held senior leadership roles including Managing Director Australia/NZ for global biopharmaceutical company Octapharma, led Austrade Europe’s top-performing industry team, helping Australian life sciences and tech companies scale into the EU; distilled strategic insights from leading US innovation hubs to inform Sweden’s national innovation strategy; and established a US base for a European CRO, securing multimillion-dollar contracts and expansion.  A sought-after speaker, strategic advisor and board member, Petra brings deep expertise in scaling breakthrough ventures, building investible innovation ecosystems, and shaping policy for frontier technologies. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion in tech, enabling the next generation of quantum leaders and ensuring Australia helps shape—not just respond to—the future quantum economy. 

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  • Organization
    Quantum Australia
  • Profession
    CEO
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