Lisa Kuske, our VP of People & Culture, joined IQM to bring clarity, belonging, and direction to a company growing at quantum speed. Her perspective shows where we’re headed, and what it feels like to work here.
By Lisa, VP People & Culture
I joined IQM in Spring 2025. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much about quantum computing. What drew me in was the chance to learn something completely new in a field that is bigger than all of us. Quantum is the future, and being able to help shape it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In my first months, I focused on listening and observing. I wanted to understand how we work, where we excel, and where we needed support. I saw exceptional talent across all teams, but also natural fatigue after years of fast growth. People needed grounding, clarity, and a renewed sense of direction.
My philosophy is simple:
“People need two things to thrive: a sense of belonging and a sense of accomplishment.”
This has become the foundation of our People & Culture work at IQM, from onboarding to leadership development.
Two things stood out to me quickly: the passion and ambition in every team, and the natural ambiguity that comes with operating in a field still defining itself. Quantum isn’t a traditional industry; it’s “no man’s land.” Alignment can be difficult, friction happens, and uncertainty lives in the everyday. My role is to help us move through that ambiguity with confidence.
To compete globally in quantum computing, we need both high performance and high engagement. That means clearer roles, stronger leadership, better decisions, and a structure that supports speed without chaos. It also means trust, autonomy, development, and a culture that values impact over hierarchy.
“We can’t outspend the biggest players, but we can out-grow, out-learn, and out-care.”
And that’s exactly where we’re focusing our energy. Inside People & Culture, our 16-person team spans Talent Acquisition, People Operations, Employee Experience and Office Management.
We’re building the foundations for a stronger, more connected IQM, boosting engagement, maturing our processes, and shaping a healthier feedback culture with clearer leadership principles and new development opportunities. And as we grow from the inside, we’re raising our presence on the global stage to build trust and visibility in the quantum ecosystem.
I grew up on the Baltic Sea and put myself through business university in Germany, where a part-time job at a headhunting agency unexpectedly sparked my path into HR. That opportunity grew into a 15-year international career spanning HR generalist roles, recruitment, business partnering, and leadership – a journey marked by major wins, steep learning curves, and tough moments, including leading the closure of a company with 500 employees.
Those experiences shaped how I lead today: with responsibility, clarity, and empathy. And I’ve learned that I do my best work in global environments where diverse perspectives push ideas forward.
“I genuinely feel like a citizen of the world, and that mindset guides how I approach people and organisations.”
Outside work, I’m a mother, a traveller, and someone who finds grounding through movement. I spent 15 years as a gymnast before shifting to yoga and eventually becoming a teacher in Bali. The discipline stayed, but the intention changed; less perfection, more presence.
When I imagine IQM in a few years, I hope employees look back and say it was:
“A crazy, amazing ride, full of successes, struggles, and growth.”
That they’re proud of being part of IQM and feel prepared for whatever comes next.
You can already feel that culture taking shape. For me, the clearest expression of IQM’s heartbeat is our weekly All Hands. That’s where you see the progress, the connection, and the movement across teams and countries, our global culture coming to life.
The people who thrive here bring curiosity, resilience, and a solutions-oriented mindset. They want to shape something meaningful that doesn’t exist yet, and they value the freedom and responsibility that come with working in a scale-up at the forefront of quantum technology.
Because at the end of the day, quantum may be complex, but it’s people who bring it to life!
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