Two Worlds, One Workforce: Nicolas Adam on Scaling People and Culture in Quantum Hardware
In this episode, I am joined by Nicolas Adam , Head of People & Culture at eleQtron , the German quantum computing company building machines with its own microwave-based MAGIC technology, and now delivering systems to Forschungszentrum Jülich and DLR. Nicolas came into quantum from outside the field: 12 yearsin automotive, latterly as a global HR director responsible for 14 countries, before joining eleQtron, a spin-off from the University of Siegen, ahead of its Series A. This episode explores what it really takes to scale aquantum hardware company once the funding lands, from growing headcount from around 70 to nearly 130 in a year, to bringing together researchers and industry engineers who need each other but do not yet speak the same language. We discuss: 🔄 Why the talent shortage is partly a job description problem, and why a missingcapability is a business risk, not just an HR vacancy 🧩 Build, borrow, partner, convert and combine, a practical framework forassembling the capabilities a roadmap actually needs 🚗 Converting engineers from automotive and aerospace who already bring 70 to 80%of the skills, and closing the gap with training 🏗️ The "two worlds" challenge, physicists and industry engineerslearning to work to shared standards, processes and delivery timelines 👥 Why great technical experts should not be pushed into management by default,and why succession planning and knowledge transfer matter from day one 🇪🇺 What Germany and Europe need to do to keep pace in the race for quantum talentand investment Guest: Nicolas Adam Head of People & Culture, eleQtron