Chris Gow is Senior Director, EU Public Policy and Head of the Brussels Office for Cisco’s Government Affairs team, responsible for engagements with the EU institutions. Having joined Cisco in 2008, he oversees all of Cisco’s EU public policy positions and advocacy. He is currently deeply engaged in security, cloud, data and sovereignty issues in region and globally.
Chris has held multiple industry leadership roles. He is currently a Member of the Executive Board of DIGITAL EUROPE, the leading trade association in Europe representing digitally transforming industries, and Member of the Board of the European Internet Forum, a non-partisan platform that supports the European political leadership in developing public policies fit for the digital age.
Prior to Cisco, he was responsible for campaign strategies and digital economy policy work at EICTA (now DIGITAL EUROPE). He has been in Brussels since 2003, initially as an Assistant to a Member of the European Parliament, working on internal market and legal affairs issues.
Chris studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University.
Quantum technologies are approaching practical deployment and are expected to significantly reshape the digital landscape. The EU is positioning itself as a global leader in this space, with its forthcoming Quantum Act poised to boost research and innovation, scale industrial capacity and reinforce supply chain resilience of quantum technologies. Meanwhile, the EU is preparing to defend against quantum-enabled cyber threats. In June 2025, it published its Roadmap for the Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography, setting out a phased approach with milestones in 2026, 2030 and 2035 to guide Member States through the transition of their cryptographic systems. This session will examine how Europe can translate quantum research into commercial and strategic advantage, while also assessing the continent’s preparedness for quantum-driven cybersecurity risks.
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Senior Research Scholar
Columbia University’s School of School of International and Public Affairs
Joint Analytic Report Lead
Cyber Threat Alliance
Program Manager, Emerging and Disruptive Technologies
European Commission Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
Senior Manager of European Government Affairs
Microsoft
Executive Assistant Director
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA)
