Kristen Smith
SandboxAQ has appointed Andrew McLaughlin as its first chief operations officer.
In his new role, McLaughlin is responsible for scaling the AI and quantum business units, supporting work on large quantitative models essential to the creation of breakthrough products in biopharma, chemicals, automotive and aerospace, among other sectors, SandboxAQ said Tuesday.
His appointment builds on his contribution as a senior adviser to SandboxAQ’s CEO and senior leadership team for over three years, with a focus on organizational growth, business development, and public policy and regulatory issues around artificial intelligence and quantum.
“As an early SandboxAQ advisor, I know the company very well and have been involved in several key initiatives,” McLaughlin said.
Commenting on his latest appointment, McLaughlin said the role involves working more closely with company executives to maximize the global impact of SandboxAQ’s AI and advanced technology offerings that address challenges in health care, finance, manufacturing, cybersecurity, government and other sectors.
McLaughlin brings decades of private and public sector experience to the company.
He has served as a partner at Higher Ground Labs, a venture fund and ecosystem builder he co-founded to invest in technology for political progress.
He was also the CEO of Instapaper and Digg and the founding president and COO of sustainable urban development startup Assembly OSM.
Prior to joining Assembly OSM, McLaughlin held leadership roles at Tumblr, Google and ICANN.
In July 2009, he was named the deputy chief technology officer of the United States under President Barack Obama.
McLaughlin currently sits on the board of Globant, a company delivering digital transformation, technology-driven business reinvention and innovative software development for various industries.
