Claudia Nemat Appointed Chairwoman Of IQM Quantum Council
The world's leading superconducting quantum computer maker, IQM Quantum Computers, made a significant hire to boost Europe's quantum technology industry. New IQM Quantum Council head Claudia Nemat was a Deutsche Telekom AG Board of Management for Technology and Innovation member.
This significant decision takes effect November 1, 2025. Physicist and technology pioneer Claudia Nemat will replace Dr. Axel Thierauf. She has over 20 years of administrative and technological experience. One of Europe's most experienced business strategists leads the advisory council of a corporation crucial to Europe's quantum technical sovereignty.
Dual Mandate for Global Ecosystem Growth
According to IQM, Dr. c, the former president of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has joined the council. The strategic advisory board includes business, academic, and public governance veterans. Its goal is to build IQM as a quantum computing pioneer by supporting a secure, imaginative, and sustainable quantum future for everyone.
IQM Quantum Computers co-founder and CEO Dr. Jan Goetz stressed the strategic depth and urgency of these additions. Dr. Goetz said Nemat's hiring shows IQM's commitment to building and disseminating a quantum ecosystem worldwide. He said Claudia Nemat and Dr. Vasara's “extensive experience and deep knowledge in technology and innovation” will help IQM achieve fault-tolerant quantum computing and strengthen the ecosystem. To fully realise quantum technology's revolutionary promise, fault-tolerant quantum computing is needed next.
Claudia Nemat—Policy and Industrial Scale Profile Working through technical changes has shaped Claudia Nemat's career. She led Deutsche Telekom's large-scale technology architecture and innovation pipeline for ten years after 17 years at McKinsey & Company. She was named Partner in 2000 and Senior Partner in 2006 at McKinsey, where she advised global giants on digital strategy, organisational transformation, and operational excellence. Her expertise in strategic consulting and industrial technology program implementation enhances her advisory position at IQM.
Nemat is a leading corporate leader and an expert on digital transformation and artificial intelligence, emphasising human-centered technology. In North America, South America, and Europe, she has led boards and organisations. She seems passionate about academia, global policy, and technology.
She is a member of the German Council on Foreign Relations, Cologne University Council, and ABB Board of Directors. Lanxess Supervisory Board and Airbus Board of Directors have employed her. In 2021, she became Heinrich Hertz Visiting Professor at KIT.
Enhancing the Quantum Council's Mission
Established over five years ago, the IQM Quantum Council is a crucial strategic arm for quantum computing development. Public, academic, and private sector interaction is encouraged.
Under Nemat's leadership, the council is expected to increase its efforts in many crucial areas for quantum industry growth:
The council will encourage cooperation to increase quantum computing's commercial applications and IQM's full-stack solutions.
Standards and best practices: Predicting the societal and industrial transformations that quantum advantage would unavoidably bring, industry standards and best practices for ethical and responsible quantum technology development are a focus.
Policy and Advocacy: The advisory group will argue for quantum adoption at the highest levels of European governance to obtain public financing and legislation for the growing ecosystem.
Workforce Development: Leading vital workforce development programs including reskilling, industrial training, and education will help society close the quantum skills gap and create jobs in quantum hardware and software.
Claudia Nemat praised the field's growth and expressed excitement for the upcoming challenge. She stated, “I am thrilled to be a part of the quantum journey and am thrilled about the council's achievements and quantum advancements.” Due to our shared excitement and dedication, we will keep incorporating stakeholders and ensuring quantum benefits society. The council's goals and objectives reflect IQM's maturity.
At IQM's Front
IQM Quantum Computers is Europe's technology guard against China and the US. Superconducting quantum computers are the company's speciality. It offers on-premises full-stack quantum computers and a cloud platform. IQM serves leading HPC facilities, research labs, academic institutions, and huge enterprises who need full access to its cutting-edge hardware and software.
With over 300 employees across Germany, France, Japan, Poland, Italy, Spain, Singapore, South Korea, and the US, IQM Quantum Council has a clear international expansion strategy.
IQM's quantum hardware competence and Nemat's experience managing huge technological infrastructure at Deutsche Telekom are expected to drive the company's growth. She will assist IQM on strategic alliances and industrial scale for fault-tolerant quantum computing using her operational knowledge.
By appointing Nemat to lead its strategic advisory body, IQM is sending a strong message to European policymakers and the global technology industry: the European quantum ecosystem is ready for industrial-grade leadership and international competition. The IQM Quantum Council is committed to making quantum computing a successful, internationally competitive, and commercially viable enterprise.