Quantum Risk at the Board Level
Board members and non-executive directors do not need to understand quantum physics. They need to understand fiduciary exposure, regulatory risk, competitive implications, and whether management’s response to the quantum threat is adequate. This two-hour briefing provides exactly that.
The quantum threat to cryptography creates board-level governance responsibilities. Harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks mean that data confidentiality failures may already be occurring, even though the decryption capability does not yet exist. Regulatory deadlines are creating compliance obligations. Insurance markets are asking about quantum readiness. Investors and clients are beginning to expect demonstrable preparedness.
Course Outline
Module 1. The Board’s Quantum Risk Exposure (60 minutes)
What the quantum threat means in governance terms: data that your organization holds today may be decrypted in the future. Regulatory deadlines creating compliance obligations. The fiduciary question: is this a risk the board should be tracking? How quantum risk maps to existing risk appetite frameworks. Peer benchmarking: what boards at comparable organizations are doing. The insurance dimension: how cyber insurance questionnaires are evolving to include quantum readiness.
Module 2. Governance and Oversight (60 minutes)
What a credible management response looks like versus what should raise concerns. The questions boards should ask about PQC migration: Has discovery been completed? Is the migration methodology vendor-independent? What is the vendor dependency exposure? What verification is planned? How to read a management update on PQC migration status. Setting expectations for reporting cadence and milestones. The disclosure question: when and how to address quantum risk in public filings and investor communications.
Prerequisites
None.
Who this course is for
Non-executive directors, board members, audit committee members, risk committee members, and corporate secretaries preparing board materials on technology risk.
What you’ll be able to do afterward
- Understand the quantum threat at a governance level (what is at risk, why, and on what timeline)
- Identify the board’s fiduciary and regulatory obligations with respect to quantum security
- Ask informed questions of management about organizational PQC readiness status
- Evaluate a PQC risk assessment and readiness report
- Understand what a PQC migration program entails and how to evaluate management’s plan
- Assess whether the organization’s quantum risk governance is adequate
What you leave with
You leave with the course handbook, a PDF of the full material with the instructor notes written out in place of the slides’ bullet points, and a PDF copy of Quantum Ready, included at no extra cost. The handbook is yours to keep. For most organizations, that shared reference is the clearest return on a training budget.
Enrollment includes 180 days of access to the online on-demand course. Where that course is not yet published, the 180 days start on the day it is.
Where this course fits
Nothing is required, and no technical background is assumed. Quantum Security for Executives is the longer treatment for the management team below the board, and PQC Migration: Building the Business Case is what the board will be asked to approve next.
Why we teach this
The material comes from Quantum Ready, the book on organizational readiness written by the course author, and from faculty who sit in these conversations on the other side of the table. We teach executives the questions we have watched go unasked.
Certificate of Completion
Upon completion, you will receive a Quantum Academy certificate of completion. This is not a professional certification.
About this program
Quantum Academy credentials are private professional credentials issued by Quantum Academy, a trade name of Post-Quantum Institute. They are not government-issued licenses, accredited degrees, or academic credit, and earning one does not guarantee employment, promotion, regulatory approval, or any other specific outcome.
Quantum Academy programs are educational and informational only, and are not legal, compliance, or engineering advice.
