Burnaby, Canada – September 9, 2020 – D-Wave Systems Inc., the leader in quantum computing systems, software, and services today announced that Daniel Ley and Allison Schwartz have joined the company as Senior Vice President of Sales and Global Government Relations and Public Affairs Leader, respectively. Ley’s experience in technology sales and executive leadership, and Schwartz’s strong background in technology policy and public affairs, make them the ideal candidates as D-Wave continues to expand its global customer and partner base and government engagement, while demonstrating business value with quantum computing today.
Daniel Ley brings over 25 years of experience in the technology and software industries. Prior to joining D-Wave, Ley was Vice President of Global Sales for the Routing Optimization and Assurance product line at the Blue Planet Software Division of Ciena, which acquired his previous company, Packet Design, in 2018. At Packet Design, a leading network analytics and management company, Ley served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales. Before that, Daniel was Vice President of Solutions Sales at CA Technologies where he oversaw product sales and sales team integration for the Hyperformix product line, and subsequently led product sales in the Virtualization and Automation Business Unit.
“D-Wave sits at the intersection of business and innovation. I know how transformative the right technology can be for enterprise success, and I’m eager to bring my expertise to an ecosystem that’s evolving as quickly as quantum computing is right now,” said Ley. “I have devoted my career to strategic technology sales and I am thrilled to now play a crucial role in expanding D-Wave’s customer and partner base, while driving global adoption of quantum computing via the cloud.”
Allison Schwartz brings over 25 years of public policy experience to D-Wave, with a proven track record in technology policy. Most recently, as Vice President of Government Affairs at ANDE, she worked to provide a better understanding of how the technology of Rapid DNA analysis can prevent human trafficking and unite families. Prior to ANDE, Schwartz served as Global Government Relations Leader for Dun & Bradstreet, where she was responsible for the company’s public policy and government relations efforts across the globe, and won a company-wide award for innovation in 2018.
“I’ve dedicated my career to working with global stakeholders on strategic worldwide issues – from human rights to data analytics,” said Schwartz. “Quantum computing is a technology that will soon change our world in profound ways. D-Wave is breaking down the access barriers for governments, corporations, academics and NGOs through their cloud initiatives. I’m excited to join a team where expanding public-private partnerships and relationships with policy makers and influencers can move this industry into an unprecedented period of growth while tackling significant problems facing our global community.”
These strategic hires follow significant company momentum and milestones for D-Wave, including a strategic collaboration with NEC, the launch of Leap 2, and its expansion into India and Australia. Ley and Schwartz join the company ahead of the upcoming launch of Advantage – D-Wave's next-generation quantum system built for business.
About D-Wave Systems Inc.
D-Wave is the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services and is the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers. Our mission is to unlock the power of quantum computing for the world. We do this by delivering customer value with practical quantum applications for problems as diverse as logistics, artificial intelligence, materials sciences, drug discovery, cybersecurity, fault detection, and financial modeling. D-Wave’s systems are being used by some of the world’s most advanced organizations, including NEC, Volkswagen, DENSO, Lockheed Martin, USRA, USC, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. With headquarters near Vancouver, Canada, D-Wave’s US operations are based in Palo Alto, CA and Bellevue, WA. D-Wave has a blue-chip investor base including PSP Investments, Goldman Sachs, BDC Capital, NEC Corp., and In-Q-Tel. For more information, visit: www.dwavesys.com