Meet the Team at Sanctuary AI
Geordie Rose
Co-Founder, former CEO
Geordie Rose co-founded Sanctuary AI in 2018 and was our former Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Sanctuary AI, Geordie founded D-Wave, the world’s first quantum computing company, and was the CEO of Kindred, the world’s first robotics company to use reinforcement learning in a production environment. He has sold quantum computers and robots to Google, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Gap Inc., and several U.S. government agencies. He was named the 2011 Canadian Innovator of the Year, was listed on Foreign Policy Magazine’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers in 2013, and won the 2014 Canadian Technology Leader award.
Olivia Norton
Co-Founder, CTO & CPO
Olivia Norton co-founded Sanctuary AI in 2018 and is our Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer. Prior to founding Sanctuary AI, Olivia led the Vancouver-based Artificial General Intelligence group at Kindred AI and previously worked in consulting for the energy industry and R&D at the Institute for Biomechanics at ETH Zurich. Passionate about creating and scaling impactful technology, Olivia lends her voice and expertise to a variety of organizations and groups in the Vancouver tech ecosystem. She is a member of the Advisory Board at the Vancouver Economic Commission and a founding member of the Frontier Collective. She is a regular guest speaker at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Calgary, and Science World. Olivia is a 2018 BC Business 30 under 30 award recipient and a 2019 Schulich School of Engineering Alumni Award winner. Learn More
Paula Gil
Chief Operating Officer
Paula Gil was one of the first employees at Sanctuary AI, returning in September of 2022 as Head of Special Projects, and then taking the helm as Sanctuary AI's Chief Operations Officer. Paula has held various operations leadership positions during her 26-year career in the technology industry. She is no stranger to cutting-edge and innovative technology having spent time in the fast-paced gaming industry at Electronic Arts, as VP of Program Management at D-Wave, and VP of Special Projects at Kindred.ai, to name just a few. Learn More
Ben Reed
Chief Marketing Officer
Ben Reed joined Sanctuary AI in 2021 after spending 17 of his 26-year technology industry career at Microsoft Corporation in various strategy, marketing, and communications leadership positions. He built and led the communication teams responsible for launching Microsoft Surface, Microsoft HoloLens, and the Microsoft Mixed Reality platform. He has a proven track record in business strategy, management, communications, marketing, and agency and vendor management with experience at organizations of all sizes. Learn More
Philip Smith
Chief Financial Officer
Philip Smith joined Sanctuary AI in 2021 after 30 years of experience in banking and capital markets. Prior to joining Sanctuary AI, Philip had a 27-year-long career at Scotiabank, most recently as the Head of Investor Relations. He also served as Global Head of Debt and Equity Capital Markets; prior to that, he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Global Banking and Markets. During his time with Scotiabank, Philip held a variety of increasingly senior roles in finance, capital markets, investment banking, and wealth management. Learn More
James Wells
Chief Commercial Officer
James Wells joined Sanctuary AI in 2019 with previous experience as a venture capitalist in both operator and investor capacities. He specializes in the commercialization and financing of breakthrough hardware technologies that can impact the world on a planetary scale, previously working with ventures on carbon capture, water treatment, and clean hydrogen production. During his ten years in the venture industry, James co-created 3 companies with founding investments, served on numerous boards, and contributed towards a top quartile performing fund. Learn More
Under the leadership team, we continue to accelerate on our mission to create the world’s first human-like intelligence in general purpose robots. Our general purpose technology has the power to transform industries and redefine possibilities, and we are looking for the world’s best problem solvers—new team members who share our passion and excitement for the possibilities that await once we reach mission success. Choose your next career-defining moment at Sanctuary AI, browse our current openings and apply today.
About Sanctuary AI
Founded in 2018, Sanctuary AI is a multi-award-winning company based in Vancouver, Canada. Sanctuary AI is on a mission to create the world's first human-like intelligence in general purpose robots that will help us work more safely, efficiently, and sustainably, helping to address the labor challenges facing many organizations today. Sanctuary AI's growing list of customers and investors represents a wide variety of industries across Canada, the US, and other countries around the world.
Members of the Sanctuary AI team founded D-Wave (a pioneer in the quantum computing industry), Kindred (first use of reinforcement learning in a production robot), and the Creative Destruction Lab (pioneered a revolutionary method for the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind). With experience at startups and technology leaders such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Softbank Robotics, the team has experience launching market-defining innovations rooted in previously unsolved and deep scientific problems.
