Lisa Matthews

‘Lisa’s strategic direction has strengthened both KETS’ market presence and the UK’s standing in quantum technology’

Part of the Tech Women Celebration 50 – a curated list of some of the most inspirational women working at all levels of tech

Lisa Matthews is CEO at KETS Quantum Security, a deep-tech startup developing quantum-safe communication solutions. As CEO, Lisa delivers all areas of KETS' strategic plans and is responsible for compliance across KETS' group of companies, covering finance, people, contracts, product certification, and export control.

Before joining KETS, Lisa held various roles supporting and stimulating the UK's early-stage technology sector. As incubation manager for the University of Bristol's SETSquared incubator, she helped members achieve multi million pound investment, and create 240 jobs. As portfolio manager at Jenson Funding Partners, an early-stage UK VC fund, Lisa worked with over 100 investee companies, supporting founders and serving on boards. She also established and led Jenson's ESG task force to integrate ESG principles into the fund's activities. Lisa is a vocal advocate for diversity in deep tech and an active contributor to industry networks, including the Bristol & Bath Cyber community board.

What do you consider the nominees biggest achievement to date?

Lisa has been pivotal in transforming KETS Quantum Security from a research-driven startup into a thriving commercial enterprise. Under her leadership, the company has secured substantial venture capital and government funding, including a major contract that enabled KETS to bring its QKD system to market, now being trialled by BT. This success drove sales to more than double annual targets and established strong positions in critical infrastructure and telecoms.

Lisa’s strategic direction has strengthened both KETS’ market presence and the UK’s standing in quantum technology. She has become a trusted voice for organisations preparing for “Q-Day,” translating complex quantum science into commercial value and shaping dialogue in technology and policy circles.

Internally, Lisa has led meaningful cultural change—introducing gender pay gap monitoring, balanced hiring practices, and enhanced caregiver leave policies—reducing the company’s gender pay gap from 20% to under 1%.

What is the most significant challenge the nominee has overcome?

Lisa’s leadership has transformed KETS through a strategic restructure that refocused the business on its core QKD system, enabling it to target high-value customers in critical infrastructure and telecoms.

She strengthened internal capabilities by investing in the world-leading team and redefining senior roles to clarify accountability and decision-making. Implementing an OKR system aligned daily work with long-term goals, driving ownership, collaboration, and sharper prioritisation.

Lisa also revamped professional development with tailored growth plans, clear progression pathways, and peer learning, boosting morale. Following the restructure, KETS saw zero team churn and entered a phase of renewed growth, emerging as a focused, aligned, and high-performing organisation ready to lead in quantum cybersecurity.

Tell us something about the nominee people would find surprising

While many know Lisa as a successful and leading voice in deep tech, her professional background is in civil and architectural engineering. For her PhD, she spent four years writing computational fluid dynamics code.

Her first ten working years in design and consulting took her from London to the Middle East, where she worked on projects including offshore wind farms, major airports, and sections of Crossrail, and even designed the mast atop Heron Tower (next to the Gherkin).

Beyond her engineering and investment career, Lisa's life is full of even more surprising adventures. She was crowned Young Ornithologist of the Year in 1990 and met Chris Packham, is a retired Campanologist (bell ringer), and once sold a set of golf clubs to Sylvester Stallone.