QSECDEF 2026 Schedule
We encourage all participants to have an early brunch and arrive at Mid-day and spend an hour being introduced to our delegates and meeting fellow senior stakeholders during the registration coffee.
Martin Charbonneau - NATO
With a career deeply rooted in the evolution of emerging technologies, Martin Charbonneau leads the development of Quantum-Safe networking solutions at Nokia. His work in quantum-era cybersecurity drives global collaboration with research institutions and technology leaders in quantum cryptography, shaping resilient solutions for an increasingly dynamic threat landscape.
Martin works closely with critical infrastructure providers and enterprises, raising awareness of the urgent need to secure network infrastructure through robust, defense-in-depth strategies. While he acknowledges the transformative potential of quantum computing, his mission is to safeguard trust in our digital communications and data systems. This commitment is grounded in a clear understanding of both the promise and the risks posed by quantum technologies.
He serves on the Programme Committee for the annual ETSI/IQC Quantum-Safe Cryptography Workshops and is an active member of the Quantum-Safe Canada industry advisory group. A proud graduate of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean (RMC Saint-Jean), Martin is based in Ottawa, Canada.
Zeki Seskir, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Zeki Seskir’s background is in Science and Technology Policy Studies (STPS) and Quantum Information Science. He is a researcher in the field of technology assessment (TA) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS).
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. He is coordinator of the project "QuTec: Quantum Technology Innovations for Society." He works for the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) on Military use of quantum technologies.
Malak Trabelsi Loeb, Vernewell Group
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.
Nydia Assaf Aragon, Enluz
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. Nydia’s team was a finalist in the 2025 Global Industry Challenge (NeuroQuantum Nexus), announced at the Quantum World Congress. In 2024, she was 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 is 2021 SAS’s “Top Women in Analytics”, 2022 the ATHENA Leadership Award nominee, recipient of MetLife’s Center Stage Award (Q2 2018) for her digital transformation and compliance impact. 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.
14:05 - 'Securing the Future of Mission-Critical Communications: The Transition to Quantum-Safe Networking
Olivier Duroyon of Nokia
Olivier Duroyon serves as the Head of the Public Sector segment for Network Infrastructure at Nokia, with responsibility for Defense, Public Safety, Research and Education Networks, and the modernization of local government and metropolitan infrastructure. Drawing on an engineering background, he has accumulated extensive experience in public affairs and business development, supporting national, regional, and local governments in the advancement and modernization of their ICT infrastructure.
José Pizarro De La Iglesia, European Space Agency
Jose Pizarro 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.
Maria Witte, Arise Innovations
Maria Witte is a chemist by training, science commercialization expert, and the founder of Arise Innovations. She works with the deep tech ecosystem across venture capital funds, venture builders, innovation institutions and startups to evaluate and steer deep tech ventures before failure becomes structurally locked in. She is the inventor of the 4x4-TETRA Deep Tech Matrix™ Framework (based on work with 200+ deep tech projects in 20+ international ecosystems), the world’s first RD&I-certified operating system for deep tech evaluation, venture intervention and action order sequencing. The framework is designed to make scientific, technological, organizational, and capital risks measurable and actionable, rather than implicit or intuition-driven.
Owen O’Donnell, ViaVi Solutions
Owen O’Donnell is responsible for marketing, strategy and new product introductions in VIAVI’s Wireless Business Unit, with a particular emphasis on virtualized 5G radio access, core network and PQC Performance testing (TeraVM platform). Owen has more than 35 years’ experience in the industry with positions at Ericsson and Huawei, and has lived and worked in Sweden and U.K. prior to settling in Ireland
Michael Baczyk - Investor at Heartcore Capital
Michael Baczyk is an investor at Heartcore Capital, backing early-stage, sector-defining quantum companies. He leverages his technical expertise and strategic market understanding to establish relationships with founders building the future of quantum computing, sensing, communications and quantum safe. He was previously VP of Business Intelligence and first employee at Global Quantum Intelligence, where he directed a global team of quantum experts, led the most extensive analysis of the Chinese quantum ecosystem, and shaped 30+ strategic projects for national security advisors, VCs, and Fortune 500 executives.Michael was educated at Cambridge, ETH Zurich and worked at CERN Quantum & AI, and Los Alamos Quantum Labs. He is a double winner of global quantum hackathons and was awarded Europe's best young scientist, 1st at EUCYS by the European Commission.
15:30 Coffee Break
Join us in the coffee break to discuss sessions and meet the speakers.
Anna Beata Kalisz Hedegaard - CEO QSecDef
Anna Kalisz Hedegaard has over 15 years of international experience in deep-tech, telecommunications, and defence communications networks. She brings a truly global perspective, having lived and worked across Poland, Denmark, the United States, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Germany. She worked at the European Patent Office and for the German Aerospace Center. Anna holds dual Master of Science degrees in Theoretical Cosmology (Physics) from the University of Southern Denmark, Nanoscience from Wright State University USA. As well as years of studies and research in telecommunications, radar, antennas and data systems. In 2024 founded deep tech start up QuantumPrime. In 2025 she won three entrepreneurship and leadership awards.
Defending Post-Quantum Digital Reality is a defence-led session on how quantum computing will undermine today’s digital trust model - and how organisations can harden their posture before the threat becomes operational.
It focuses on protecting mission-critical data, identities, communications, and system integrity against quantum-enabled interception, manipulation, and delayed decryption. The session examines where current cryptography is most exposed, why “harvest now, decrypt later” creates an immediate national-security-grade risk for long-life information, and what defensive measures can be deployed now.
Adam McElroy, CTO Eclypses
Adam McElroy brings over 25 years of security leadership experience to his role as Chief Technology Officer for Eclypses, where he brings the voice of the customer into all dimensions of the firm and ensures 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, CEO Applied Quantum
Marin Ivezic is the founder of Applied Quantum, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations prepare for the opportunities and threats of quantum technology. A former quantum entrepreneur, he previously led cybersecurity and quantum technology practices at a Big Four firm as well as at IBM and Accenture, and he also served as a CISO and CTO at Fortune Global 500 companies. With over 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.
Adrian Neal, CEO QuStream
Adrian Neal is a two-time winner of the NATO Defence Innovation Challenge and an international expert in Cybersecurity and Cryptography. He serves as Senior Director and Global Lead for Post-Quantum Cryptography at Capgemini, and CEO of QuStream, delivering cutting-edge quantum-safe encryption (504-bit hardness) in Web3 environments. With nearly 40 years of experience across 8 countries and sectors including banking, energy, pharma, and defense, Adrian advises governments, defense organizations, and multinationals on post-quantum readiness. He also consults on cybersecurity for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) on socio-economic risks from cryptographic instability. Adrian is a member of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR). He founded two Oxford spinouts: Oxford BioChronometrics, a fraud detection pioneer cited by global media and US Congress, and Oxford Scientifica, focused on secure military communications, with both ventures earning NATO cybersecurity awards.
17:00: “Quantum Communication MBDA’s use cases : today and tomorrow”
Edouard Debry, MBDA
Edouard Derby works on the improvement and development of effectors and effector systems using quantum technologies, notably in the field of communications. Edouard studies MBDA’s potential use cases for quantum communications that are broad, and in principle spanning many existing communications systems.
17:25 “Operational Quantum Advantage in Defence Context”
Dr Joe Spencer, Director Global Quantum Intelligence
Dr Spencer is one of the world’s leading authorities on quantum technology, with a defence-sector background that has shaped the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme and influenced international roadmaps and defence applications.
17:50 Closing by Anna Beata Kalisz Hedegaard, QSECDEF
Members Social Event - 8pm - 11pm
Join us for our members event as we wander through Canal St Martin and enjoy some French culture while we bar hop and bike hop.
(Bad weather plan - Quantum in Pubs with Joe Spencer!
