The Quantum Daily has released a list of the 51 biggest CTO’s in Quantum Tech, and it is a very interesting read! Call me a nerd, but I was genuinely excited to see who made it on the list – particularly as we enter this period of rapid development in the industry. 51 is a lot of CTO’s so, to save you a bit of time, I thought I would pick out my “one’s to watch” from the list. Keep reading to find out who’s firing ahead of the rest in the wild world of quantum technology right now, and which lucky organizations have them at the helm!
Please note, this is not the top 3 as told by The Quantum Daily, but it is my pick of the top 3 to watch from the 51 selected in the original article.
If you would like to read the full list, you can find it here.
Hang On, What’s A CTO?
For those of you who don’t know, CTO stands for ‘Chief Technology Officer’ or ‘Chief Technical Officer’ (they’re both the same thing!) A CTO is usually a member of the senior management team at their organisation. Their primary responsibility is to manage the company’s technological operations, including research and development, and usually has jurisdiction over a large sum of the organisation’s capital. It is the CTO’s responsibility to efficiently allocate this capital to maximise the output of their team and its investments.
The ‘Ones To Watch’
1. Arman Zaribafiyan, 1QBit
Role(s): CTO and President
Organization: 1QBit – a 9-year old Vancouver-based quantum computing company producing platforms, software and applications supported by the latest in classical and quantum technology.
Details: TQD’s number one, Zaribafiyan has a Masters Degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of British Columbia. He describes himself as a passionate individual, with an appetite for emerging computing technologies (like quantum!). His role at 1QBit has him applying these technologies to solve common cross-industry problems through their products and services.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Arman has “a strong track record in managing forward-deployed research and engineering projects”. Working with a number of Fortune 100 organisations to assist their adoption of new technologies, he is no stranger to the big guns!
Why they’re “one to watch”: Arman has managed a ton of research and engineering projects in his career so far. He has the experience to take 1QBit’s to the next level, so I’ll be waiting to see if he pulls it off!
2. David Bestwick, Arqit
Role: CTO and Co-Founder
Organization: Arqit – A London-based startup specialising in cloud-based quantum encryption.
Details: TQD’s number 5, David Bestwick has a Bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics from the University of Leicester. Before he co-founded Arqit with his business partner David Williams, Bestwick also co-founded Avanti Communications, an organisation that pioneered the use of Ka band satcoms to deploy four of the high throughput satellites (HTS’s) that currently serve EMEA. The company’s achievements were recognised by the Royal Aeronautical Society, which awarded David and his team a Silver Medal in 2011.
According to his profile on Craft.co, David has advised the European Space Agency on its telecommunications research strategy and sits on the Board of the Quantum Technology Industry Group.
Why they’re “one to watch”: An entrepreneur, pioneer, and true hero of the industry, it is pretty clear that David lives and breathes quantum. I can’t wait to see what he does next at Arqit and beyond!
3. Elena Blokhina, Equal1. labs
Role: CTO
Organization: Equal1.labs – a Silicon Valley and Dublin-based silicon semiconductor QC startup.
One of only two women and number 14 on TQD’s list, Blokhina has an incredible list of specializations including microelectronic systems, multi-physics systems, quantum electronics, semiconductor devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and computer-aided design (CAD).
An associate professor at University College Dublin, she co-manages the partnership between the university and Equal1.labs. She originally earned her Ph.D. in physical and mathematical sciences from Saratov State University in Russia.
Why they’re “one to watch”: As a woman in tech, Elena has already beaten unbelievable odds to make it into the position she is in right now. She is an inspiration to women in STEM, and I have no doubt will continue to prove her worth in the industry. I also have no doubt that she will be instrumental in the development of new quantum technologies at Equal1.labs.
As I said earlier, this is just my pick of the 51 CTO’s reported by The Quantum Daily. If you’d rather read the full list and decide for yourself who the “ones to watch” really are, you can find it here.
