Graham Peters

Managing Director Government Services, Arqit

Graham Peters is a co-founder of UKQuantum and member of its Executive Committee.  He is also the Managing Director of Government Services at Arqit and current Independent chair of the cross government/industry/academia Space Partnership Board.  He was chair of the UKspace trade body from 2018 to 2020.  He has 30+ years' experience in the telecommunications and space sectors with extensive c -level relationships across industry and government.   Prior to joining Arqit he ran the Applied Technologies and Government Services business at the satellite broadband provider Avanti Communications.  Previous to that he had general management and engineering roles at Telespazio-Vega and British Aerospace. He holds a BSc(Hons) in Physics from London University.

Lory Thorpe

Quantum Safe Industry Lead, IBM

Lory Thorpe is an Executive leader with over 20 years senior level, global experience in telecommunications and digital transformation, with a technology, innovation and partnership background in next generation networks, security and connectivity enabled verticals across Private and Public sector.  Her experience includes both operator and vendor roles, working formajor telecommunication companies such as Ericsson, Nokia and Vodafone.  Lory was previously leading the IBM Consulting Global Strategy and Offering Portfolio Telco Transformation and has recently transitioned into the IBM Quantum team, leading the Quantum Safe for Telco agenda. She is the chair and one of the founders of the GSMA Post Quantum Telco Network Task Force. She was previously leading the IBM Consulting Global Strategy and Offering Portfolio Telco Transformation. Lory is based in London, UK.

Richard Claridge

Applied Physicist, PA Consultants

Richard is an applied physicist specialising in accelerating new physics-enabled technologies from the lab bench to viable capability and has a particular interest in and focus on near term applications of quantum technologies. Richard’s technical expertise is in applying fundamental science to understand and identify how new technologies can be used to bridge capability gaps, and to then design a system around them. Richard has led the technical delivery of PA’s activities in both quantum sensing and computing, including the “first piece of work to demonstrate quantum benefit using a NISQ machine to solve militarily important problems”. His other recent, work, outside quantum, includes the application of mathematics to the challenges of an increasingly complex and congested EM environment, development of non-linear optical systems and three separate approaches to 3D printing of chocolate.

Maria Maragkou

VP of Product, Riverlane

Maria has over a decade of experience in quantum technology. As Head of Business Development at Riverlane, she built a network of global partners and a deep understanding of the global quantum computing ecosystem. As VP of Product, she is developing solutions that address those needs.

Maria has a PhD in Physics from the University of Southampton and an MBA from Kedge business school. After 4 years of post-doctoral research on single photon sources, she worked in science publishing as a Senior Editor at Nature Materials. Outside of work, she swims, works on her headstand and plays with her sons.