Former Atos CEO Elie Girard Joins Quantum Company Alice & Bob as Executive Chairman – High-Performance Computing News Analysis | insideHPC

PARIS — July 11, 2023 — Fault toerant quantum computing company Alice & Bob today announced the appointment of Elie Girard as its new executive chairman. Girard will advise the company in its efforts to develop logical qubits based on Cat Qubits technology.

Cat Qubits are superconducting qubits with built-in error correction that drastically lower the hardware requirements in quantum computers. Alice & Bob researchers have demonstrated that using Cat Qubits may reduce the number of qubits required to run landmark quantum algorithms such as Shor’s by up to 60 times ¹.

Girard remarked on his decision to join the Alice & Bob team, “The real-world benefits of quantum computing are coming soon, and Cat Qubits are going to play a major role in this quantum revolution. Coupling their high-quality technology with this expertly qualified team makes Alice & Bob poised to be a major player in Quantum.”

With over 20 years of experience, Girard has held leadership positions in eight prominent companies, most notably as CEO & Director at ATOS and senior executive vice president at Orange. He also served on many boards across the world. His academic achievements include graduating from École Centrale Paris and Harvard University with master’s degrees in engineering and economics and statistics, respectively.

In his new role at Alice & Bob, Girard will draw upon his wealth of experience in structuring and scaling successful companies to enhance Alice & Bob’s ambitious growth trajectory. His advisory role will focus on shaping the company’s structure, guiding its approach to production chains, and connecting its unique quantum technology solutions with sectors such as banking, automotive, and energy that are already exploring Alice & Bob’s technology.

Théau Peronnin, CEO and co-founder of Alice & Bob, said “Adding Elie to our organization as Executive Chairman and Advisor is tremendously important for our strategic road map and our position within the global tech ecosystem. His past experience coupled with his enthusiasm for quantum technology makes him an ideal Executive Chairman.”

In March of 2022, the Paris-based startup raised $29 million in funding to scale up. Alice & Bob are focused on using Cat Qubits to accomplish their company’s mission, bringing humankind into the quantum world.