Certificate Board Leadership Program on Quantum and AI
The most dangerous sentence in the boardroom is "I don’t get it, but let’s move on"
What if there were a way for you to feel at home in a quantum conversation? Will you get there before or after your competitors? You belong here at Quantum Oaks with leaders shaping quantum and AI today. Well reviewed by private and corporate directors, our independent program sets the standard as the first and leading board certificate in quantum. We prioritize quantum literacy and decision frameworks in high stakes environments to help you evaluate proposals. You come to connect your expertise to the technologies reimagining our global order.
Trusted By Our Program Alumni From
Certificate Board Leadership Program (Live Online)
Creative Explorations for Board Leaders: Value Creation in the Age of Quantum and AI
Led by our Co-Managing Directors, the two 1-hour courses offer a robust understanding of the mission critical challenges board members confront in quantum: its access, its risks, and social impact. Come develop a personal framework to assess quantum technologies’ use cases and viability.
Less like a lecture and more like a conversation, you join an enjoyable experience. We foster a welcoming learning environment for non-technical board members. Each course includes a reading exercise where you practice assessing new language and information on emerging technologies, and a board simulation where you will evaluate proposals with other experts. Chatham House Rules apply to create a trusted forum.
Enroll now — No preparation is necessary. We empower both experienced and emerging board members. You have spent years making difficult decisions and suddenly find yourself standing at the edge of a landscape you have never explored before. Are you ready to act?
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As a board member, how might we approach emerging technologies and prepare for a quantum future?
What are “quantum computers”?
What are the timelines, limitations, drivers, opportunities, and risks?
What is “Q-Day“ and Post Quantum Cryptography?
How might the board think creatively about frontier technologies and design a vision for the organization?
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What are the use cases of quantum and what does the future of impact look like?
How might board leaders:
apply replicable frameworks to evaluate algorithms in quantum and frontier AI?
interact with startup ecosystems meaningfully, not just as the person writing the cheque?
create value and develop programs in quantum and AI as part of their strategic plans?
develop a talent pipeline, build an innovation ecosystem, begin conversations for partnerships, approach insider risk, and understand data governance?
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A discussion focused on advancing the strategic opportunities important to you, and help you design a roadmap with actionable next steps. We will ask interested participants to share a few notes with us prior to the meeting.
23 July + 30 July / 6 Aug + 13 Aug
full
Each session is capped at 5 participants
19 Aug + 26 Aug
What if there were a way for you to build the confidence to hold your own in conversations, and ask thoughtful, informed questions about quantum? Our compact program sets the standard as the first and the leading board certificate program in quantum. Forward thinking board chairs and leaders come to us for grounding advice on emerging technologies. We help you connect your expertise.
We foster a welcoming learning environment for non-technical board members. The time-efficient program is designed to work with your busy schedule. No preparation is necessary.
8 Sep + 15 Sep
What if there were a way for you to feel at home in a quantum conversation? Will you get there before or after your competitors? You belong here at Quantum Oaks with leaders shaping quantum and AI today. Well reviewed by private and corporate directors, our independent program sets the standard as the first and leading board certificate in quantum. We prioritize quantum literacy and decision frameworks in high stakes environments to help you evaluate proposals. You come to connect your expertise to the technologies reimagining our global order.
For program details, see: https://unbuiltlabs.com/board-development
22 Sep + 29 Sep
What if there were a way for you to feel at home in a quantum conversation? Will you get there before or after your competitors? You belong here at Quantum Oaks with leaders shaping quantum and AI today. Well reviewed by private and corporate directors, our independent program sets the standard as the first and leading board certificate in quantum. We prioritize quantum literacy and decision frameworks in high stakes environments to help you evaluate proposals. You come to connect your expertise to the technologies reimagining our global order.
For program details, see: https://unbuiltlabs.com/board-development
Please email Advisory@UnbuiltLabs.com for future dates or to explore program fit. As a private sector think tank, we do not advise government contractors or public sector actors. For admissions, payment, and course policies including the full risk management policy, please view our Program Policies. Existing clients may write to our private concierge directly Jamie@QuantumOaks.com.
Disruption never asks if your board has time
Why do I need to know about Quantum and Frontier AI now?
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20 June 2026 / Governance and Vendor Risk — Newly signed U.S. Presidential executive orders accelerates the federal government’s migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). A pilot project is to be completed by the end of next year, December 2027, and high impact systems should complete transition by 2030. (Source)
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11 June 2026 / Governance and Data Risk — Anthropic will donate $150 million to launch a fellowship program that places 1,000 fellows early in their careers with nonprofits in the U.S. to help them use artificial intelligence. (Source)
The Certificate Board Leadership Program on Quantum and AI creates space for curiosity, for discovery, and for the excitement of creating something new.
There are rare moments when the world becomes larger than it was the day before. Quantum technologies and artificial intelligence are opening doors that did not exist a few years ago. Imagination flows and new directions reveal themselves. We will help you skip the queue and get you past the doorman.
You are most likely reading this on a laptop or a phone, and we use these technologies everyday without fretting over the underlying codes or microchip technologies. We can take a practical approach towards quantum computing as well: you do not have to understand all of the computer science (quantum computing) and physics (quantum mechanics) to engage with these at a strategy level.
Inertia is powerful because it feels safe, but the future belongs to those who defy expectations. There are times in history when the future is up for grabs. It is the extraordinary privilege of living at the beginning of something. Those who step forward now will have a hand in deciding what it becomes. We will be your guide.
Testimonials — You belong here with leaders shaping Quantum and AI today
A trusted institution exploring an uncertain future. What do our alumni find most valuable?
What makes Quantum Oaks different?
Big consultancies, often in partnership with AI companies, offer director workshops to sell digital transformation projects. As an independent board advisory, Quantum Oaks provides you with a more realistic view of risks and opportunities.
Leadership
Marguerite Van Cook, Ph.D.
Co-Managing DirectorFrom Marguerite's early days at the Treasury department at IBM in the 70s, working alongside colleagues on room-sized computers, she now brings her expertise to Quantum Oaks Advisory at Unbuilt Labs supporting boards on quantum computing vision and strategies. Marguerite Van Cook came to New York with her punk band The Innocents, after touring the UK with The Clash. She has been an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Marguerite has been a speaker at the UN, Boards Impact Forum, Williams College, Whitney Museum, and MOMA. She serves on the Board of Unbuilt Labs. She is the President of the Board at Visual AIDS, and the President Emeritus of Howl Arts Inc. She is a member of the NASDAQ Center for Board Excellence.
Marguerite@UnbuiltLabs.com
Marvin Cheung
Co-Managing DirectorMarvin has a background in emerging technologies, having consulted and advised startups in New York. He holds judge, reviewer, and mentor roles at Johns Hopkins, MIT, Kellogg-Morgan Stanley, and Yale University. Recognized for his astute understanding of complex global systems, he chairs the Global Consortium for Systems Research and serves on the Board of Unbuilt Labs as well as various advisory boards. He has also been a Global Diplomacy Fellow as well as an Expert on SDGs and Strategic Planning at the United Nations. He regularly briefs boards on pressing issues. He has given talks at the UN, MIT, ChairX, Boards Impact Forum, and other institutions. He is a member of the University of Oxford Quantum Information Society and the NASDAQ Center for Board Excellence.
Marvin@UnbuiltLabs.com
The Oaks Simulation Model
The Oaks Simulation Model asks participants to evaluate a proposal collaboratively. The model plays out like an interactive story of board decision-making. It begins with a short scene-setting brief, after which participants shape the world — choosing the industry, company scale, and location. A novel proposal is then introduced. Guided questions spark discussion, but participants steer the direction, bringing their own expertise to the table. The result is a fast-paced, collaborative exercise in judgment, creativity, and navigating uncertainty; a demonstration of how to structure board conversations in high-stakes, high-uncertainty environments.
We are pleased to extend an invitation for partnerships
We offer preferred access and a discounted rate to members of our organizational partners. Our organizational partners include the Oxford Entrepreneurs Network for University of Oxford alumni, and the EU-funded Early Stage Investing Launchpad (ESIL). We are also open to media partnerships, and alumni resource partners looking to offer perks to our community.
As part of our Emerging Board Leaders Program, we invite leading universities to nominate graduate students to our program and bring a fresh perspective to board conversations. This includes one of the graduate schools at Columbia University in New York.
Partnering is free. Please email Advisory@UnbuiltLabs.com to access partnership benefits or explore options.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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No, the program is designed for emerging and experienced board members. No prior knowledge of AI, quantum computing, mathematics, or coding is required.
Complex concepts are explained in clear, accessible language, allowing participants to focus on the strategic questions boards need to ask.
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Yes, this certificate program turns a subject that appears overwhelming into a practical leadership conversation. Through a focused, tested curriculum, directors learn the foundations they need without unnecessary complexity or fuss. Private and corporate directors have reviewed the program positively because it respects their time constraints while giving them the knowledge to participate meaningfully in decisions about emerging technologies.
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The program is intentionally practical. It focuses on frontier challenges boards are facing today and helps you imagine a thoughtful vision for the future.
Every topic is explored through the lens of real governance challenges. Participants engage in board simulations, proposal evaluations, and discussions based on realistic organizational situations.
Rather than asking, "How does quantum computing work?", the program asks, "What does the board need to know, and what questions should directors be asking?"
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Yes. Board oversight begins long before an organization adopts a new technology.
Today, directors are already being asked to oversee technological innovations. Quantum computing is increasingly influencing each of these areas through advances in cyber-resilience, optimization, scientific discovery, and industry partnerships.
The purpose of this program is to prepare directors to recognize where quantum technologies are already shaping business decisions and to ask the right questions as management evaluates new opportunities.
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The program is designed to change how directors show up in technology discussions — from asking general questions to engaging with the strategic issues behind them.
Directors develop the ability to look beyond the technology itself and understand the business implications. They become better equipped to recognize when a vendor relationship, investment decision, or digital transformation project requires deeper board attention.
The result is a director who can move the conversation from “What is this technology?” to “What does this mean for our strategy, risk, and future value creation?”.