Strategic Security in the Quantum-AI Age

Anna is a CEO and co-founder at Quantum Security Defence, QSECDEF that is a global networking, educational and business platform to serve community of professionals. She is an active participant in the Quantum Start Up Sector in Germany with her project QuantumPrime which focuses on Quantum Satellite Communications that is data entanglement and quantum data teleportation for future 6G connectivity.   Anna Beata Kalisz Hedegaard is a physicist with two Master of Science degrees. At Wright State University, Ohio, she got deeply interested in electronics and nanotechnology, and the University of Southern Denmark fortified her expertise in quantum mechanics, and particle physics.   Anna serves on the Krown Network Quantum Security Advisory Board that builds quantum secure blockchain.   Anna has global perspective from her extensive international experience (Poland, Denmark, the United States, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Germany) and intellectual property experience from the European Patent Office and from working as a patent engineer. Anna speaks German, Danish, Polish and English.

Zeki C. Seskir is a researcher in the field of technology assessment (TA) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) and coordinator of the project "QuTec: Quantum Technology Innovations for Society." He conducts landscaping studies on quantum technologies (QT) ecosystems, education and outreach research in QT, and conceptual exploration for ELSA research for QT to be utilized in TA capabilities.  His background is in Science and Technology Policy Studies (STPS) and Quantum Information Science. He published on topics such as the QT start-up ecosystem, publication and patent landscapes, quantum radar, many-worlds interpretation, stakeholder engagement, and democratization of QT. His research interests cover a wide range of topics from quantum games to innovation ecosystems.

Malak Trabelsi Loeb is a legal expert in international business law with a focus on space law, technology and national security law, and the governance of emerging technologies, with emphasis on quantum and AI. She is the Founder and President of Vernewell Group and the Founder and CEO of Trabelsi Loeb Legal Consultants. Trabelsi Loeb advises governments, frontier-tech companies, innovators and startups, research institutions, and investors on regulatory strategy and risk, technology transfer and export control, foreign investment screening and national security reviews, cross-border data and cybersecurity, and trustworthy deployment in critical and space systems.   She founded Vernewell Tech and Space in 2020 and grew it into Vernewell Group, shaping the MENA quantum and deep-tech landscape by linking policy, industry, and research to deliver deployments, not pilots that stall. Under Vernewell’s Quantum Adoption Program she founded the Quantum Innovation Summit as the flagship convening platform, launched the Vernex Quantum Hub at DIFC as a venture studio that designs, pilots, and scales quantum solutions through the Vernex Quantum Platform, and leads Vernewell Management Consultancies, Vernewell Academy, and Quantum Universum Magazine. These initiatives move use cases from assessment to production, shorten time to implementation, and position the UAE as an active contributor to the global quantum economy. Engagements span finance, energy and utilities, logistics and maritime, healthcare and life sciences, Industry 4.0 manufacturing, space and satellite services, and telecommunications.   Trabelsi Loeb has been recognised in the Quantum 100 for contributions to the global quantum ecosystem. She is a NATO Subject Matter Expert for the space sector and emerging disruptive technologies, a frequent keynote speaker and moderator at international forums, and a recipient of the Innovation Leadership Award at the Women in Aviation Middle East Conference in 2024. Her academic background in law and economics underpins this work. She graduated valedictorian with highest honors in International Business Law from Sorbonne University, with a thesis on space insurance and international space law. Based in Dubai, she works across MENA, Europe, and North America.

EnLuz founder and international speaker, Nydia provides strategic advisory in data science, AI/ML, quantum computing, neuroscience, and IT risk & security. She leads Global Quantum and AI Literacy programs with a focus on accessibility and economic development. Her firm provides strategic advisory and consulting. Nydia’s team was a finalist in the 2025 Global Industry Challenge (NeuroQuantum Nexus), announced at the Quantum World Congress and hosted by Connected DMV.   In 2024, she was also a finalist in a Global Climate Challenge, which led to a Quantum Fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Navy Nuclear Laboratory, culminating in a materials discovery publication presented at Fall TMS 2025. She was named one of SAS’s “Top Women in Analytics” (2021), nominated for the ATHENA Leadership Award (2022), and recognised with MetLife’s Center Stage Award (Q2 2018) for her digital transformation and compliance impact.   In 2025, she was nominated for the “Quantum 100” award, aligned with UNESCO’s International Year of Quantum Science & Information, recognising leadership in the global quantum ecosystem. With a background in electronic engineering and psych neuroscience, Nydia previously served as Global Principal for IT Risk & Security, where she advanced security posture maturity, developed metrics frameworks, optimized tooling spend, and co-led board-level security posture reporting for a Fortune 40 Fintech. She is passionate about demystifying deep tech and building bridges between cybersecurity, AI, and quantum for real-world impact

With a career immersed in the evolution of emerging technologies, Martin Charbonneau pioneers Quantum-Safe networking solutions at Nokia. His focus on Quantum-era cybersecurity fosters global collaborations with research and technology leaders in the quantum cryptography sphere, aiming to craft solutions for a dynamic security landscape.   Martin partners with critical infrastructure organizations and enterprises, enlightening them about the urgency of securing network infrastructure through comprehensive defense-in-depth strategies. While Martin recognizes the vast potential of quantum computing technologies, his mission is to ensure a continued trust in our data and digital communication infrastructures. This commitment is rooted in a clear understanding of the transformative power of Quantum technologies and the necessity to protect our digital future.   A product of Canadian education, Martin attended the Canadian Royal Military College (RMC, St-Jean, Canada). He is currently based in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa.

Jose is a systems engineer with a knack for making quantum technologies work—in the real world and in space. He played a key role in shaping the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI) User Requirements Document from the very start and led the LuxQCI roadmap definition. With hands-on experience as a space systems engineer, he now supports industry and member states at ESA, helping them navigate the uncharted waters of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Quantum Computing-exploring what they can (and maybe can’t) do.   He’s shared insights at DEFCON, demonstrated quantum cryptography using nothing but playing cards, and even exchanged quantum-secured keys over a transatlantic video call-without a single trusted node in sight or laser.   When he’s not wrangling quantum tech, Jose is probably tinkering with new ideas, pushing boundaries just enough to keep things interesting.

Maria Witte is the founder of Arise Innovations, a company redefining how scientific ventures become fundable and scalable.   With a background in chemistry & nanotech, and over 130 projects under her belt, she developed a proprietary reverse-engineering system that starts not with business plans, but with the physics, chemistry, or biology at the core of the innovation. Her approach has helped deep tech ventures across Europe secure millions in strategic funding - by rejecting the rules of the lean startup playbook or business wishful thinking.   Known for challenging both founders and funders to think beyond hype cycles, she works with startups, corporates and investors to design capital logic around real scientific potential - not just buzzword-y speculative storytelling.

Owen O’Donnell is a Dublin native and currently leads marketing, strategy, and new product introductions for VIAVI’s Wireless Business Unit, with a focus on 5G, Open RAN, AI-driven RAN, s and network security testing.  Owen is a key contributor to VIAVI’s advancements in PQC (Post-Quantum Cryptography) performance testing, authoring whitepapers and speaking at industry conferences.   With over 35 years in the mobile industry, Owen has held senior roles at Ericsson and Huawei and has lived and worked in Sweden and the UK before returning to Ireland. His expertise spans wireless innovation, network resilience, and emerging technologies shaping next-generation connectivity.

Dr. Ingo Baumann is a founding partner of BHO Legal. a boutique technology law firm based in Cologne, Germany. He specializes in national, European and international high technology projects, mostly in the space industry. His clients include leading stakeholders such as the European Commission, European Space Agency, German Space Agency, large satellite operators, SME and NewSpace start-ups. Dr. Baumann studied law in Münster and Cologne. He received his PhD from the famous Cologne Institute for Air and Space Law under Prof. Dr. Hobe on the international law of satellite communications.   From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Baumann was in-house lawyer at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). He was then head of DLR´s Galileo Programme Office and administrative CEO of the DLR Gesellschaft für Raumfahrtanwendungen mbH, an affiliate of DLR for the establishment and operations of the German Galileo Control Center.   Dr Baumann is member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL). He acts as mentor for space start-ups within SpaceFounders, the French Starburst BLAST and other accelerators and incubators. He chairs the legal/regulatory working group of the BDI NewSpace Initiative, and organizes yearly legal sessions or workshops at the Munich NewSpace Summit, the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit or Space Tech Expo Bremen.

Robert Hann serves as the Global VP Technical Solutions - Data Security, Cryptography, Identity at Entrust. Robert has specialised in PKI, Identity Management and Trust Services for well over two decades and through this he brings a practical, innovative and commercially sound perspective to these areas.  With broad business-centered focus, he has helped organizations in all sectors to realize their objectives and cost effectively secure the services that many of us rely upon in our business and personal lives.

Anna is a CEO and co-founder at Quantum Security Defence, QSECDEF that is a global networking, educational and business platform to serve community of professionals. She is an active participant in the Quantum Start Up Sector in Germany with her project QuantumPrime which focuses on Quantum Satellite Communications that is data entanglement and quantum data teleportation for future 6G connectivity.   Anna Beata Kalisz Hedegaard is a physicist with two Master of Science degrees. At Wright State University, Ohio, she got deeply interested in electronics and nanotechnology, and the University of Southern Denmark fortified her expertise in quantum mechanics, and particle physics.   Anna serves on the Krown Network Quantum Security Advisory Board that builds quantum secure blockchain.   Anna has global perspective from her extensive international experience (Poland, Denmark, the United States, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Germany) and intellectual property experience from the European Patent Office and from working as a patent engineer. Anna speaks German, Danish, Polish and English.

His role at the company is to bring the voice of the customer into all dimensions of the firm and ensure communications are relevant and impactful.   Prior to Eclypses, Adam was the Group Head of Cyber Risk for a European bank after a successful career in risk, advisory and technology innovation.   He has built international security teams across many industry sectors – including finance, critical infrastructure, government, and military - his impact has been recognised in multiple awards and he is a frequent speaker at industry forums and conferences.

Marin Ivezic is the founder of Applied Quantum, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations prepare for the opportunities and threats of quantum technology. Former quantum entrepreneur, he previously led cybersecurity and quantum technology practices at a Big Four firms as well as at IBM and Accenture, and he also served as a CISO and CTO at Fortune Global 500 companies.  With over a three decades of relevant experience and over a decade of experience working on quantum readiness initiatives with governments and critical infrastructure organizations, Marin specializes in bridging the gap between cutting-edge innovations and practical cybersecurity strategy.

Robert Hann serves as the Global VP Technical Solutions - Data Security, Cryptography, Identity at Entrust. Robert has specialised in PKI, Identity Management and Trust Services for well over two decades and through this he brings a practical, innovative and commercially sound perspective to these areas.  With broad business-centered focus, he has helped organizations in all sectors to realize their objectives and cost effectively secure the services that many of us rely upon in our business and personal lives.