Helmut Leopold has more than 30 years of experience in the IT and communication technology industry. Currently he is the Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. In this role he leads 200 research professionals supporting the digital transformation of industry and society in a digital research programme covering areas such as cyber security, artificial intelligence and data science, quantum and photonics technologies among others.
Before joining AIT, Helmut Leopold worked at Alcatel and at Telekom Austria. He was responsible and a key driver for the digitalization transformation of Telekom Austria into a modern multimedia and broadband company and is today recognised as a digitalisation expert with international innovation awards and national recognition.
Helmut Leopold led international efforts such as the Broadband Services Forum (BSF), San Francisco, and is leading initiatives supporting international organisations such es the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an IAEA Collaboration Center for computer security, and the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism. Additionally, he is chair of the Gaia-X Hub Austria, is the key organizer of the International Digital Security Forum (IDSF), is president of the Austrian Organization for Information and Communication Technology (GIT) of the Austrian Electrotechnical Association (OVE) and is also board member of the Austrian society for Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL).
He holds a masters’ degree in computer science from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) and made his PhD in computer science at the University of Lancaster, UK.
