Ilyas Khan

Ilyas Tariq Khan was raised in Lancashire (North West England).{{Cite web|title=The man who saved Accrington Stanley|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/4739507.man-saved-accrington-stanley/|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Lancashire Telegraph|date=15 November 2009 |language=en}} His grandparents emigrated to Britain in the 1930s. His early schooling was in the old Lancashire Pennine mill towns of Haslingden and then Accrington.

When Khan was at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, he stayed at Netherhall House,{{Cite web|title=A Convert from Islam|url=https://opusdei.org/en-uk/article/a-convert-from-islam/|access-date=2021-05-13|website=opusdei.org|language=en}} an Opus Dei student hall of residence. Although he was born a Muslim whilst at Netherhall House he became interested in Catholicism and especially the work of 20th century theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar{{cite web|url=http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-muslim-finds-the-catholic-faith-through-geography-and-theology|title=A Muslim Finds the Catholic Faith…Through Geography and Theology|date=10 April 2012 |publisher=|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717120422/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-muslim-finds-the-catholic-faith-through-geography-and-theology/|archive-date=2012-07-17}} and of John Henry Newman.

Khan is a merchant banker by training and started his career at the London firm of J. Henry Schroder Wagg & Co. Ltd. He was also the owner of the English football team Accrington Stanley{{cite web|url=http://accringtonstanley.co.uk/club-details/|title=Club Details – Accrington Stanley|website=accringtonstanley.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222104228/http://accringtonstanley.co.uk/club-details/|archive-date=2014-02-22}} and the founder and publisher of the Asia Literary Review.{{cite web|url=http://www.asialiteraryreview.com/people|title=People – Asia Literary Review|website=www.asialiteraryreview.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807063338/http://www.asialiteraryreview.com/people|archive-date=2016-08-07}}

Khan remains the non executive senior partner of Stanhill Capital Partners,{{cite web|url=http://www.stanhillcapital.com/our-team/|title=Our Team – Stanhill Capital Partners|website=www.stanhillcapital.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222133400/http://www.stanhillcapital.com/our-team/|archive-date=2014-02-22}} a merchant banking business with a focus on natural resources which he founded in 1998, during the 20 years (1989–2009) he spent living and working in Hong Kong. He was also one of the founding directors of Australia-based White Energy Company.

Khan has published on the subject of Quantum Information Processing,{{cite arXiv |eprint=1604.06489|last1=Khan|first1=Ilyas|title=Free Will – A road less travelled in quantum information|class=physics.hist-ph|year=2016}} and in 2015 he founded Cambridge Quantum Computing,{{cite web|url=http://cambridgequantum.com/index.php?page=team|title=Cambridge Quantum Computing|website=cambridgequantum.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812095219/http://cambridgequantum.com/index.php?page=team|archive-date=2015-08-12}} which builds tools for the commercialisation of quantum technologies with a focus on quantum software and quantum cybersecurity. In December 2021 Cambridge Quantum Computing merged with Honeywell Quantum Solutions{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2021/06/08/honeywell-quantum-solutions-and-cambridge-quantum-computing-merge-and-plan-to-go-public-by-end-of-year/?sh=2bf8476a2b67 | title=Honeywell Quantum Solutions and Cambridge Quantum Computing Merge with Go-Public in Mind | website=Forbes }} to form Quantinuum one of the world’s leading quantum computing companies, and Khan remained as CEO.{{cite web | url=https://www.quantinuum.com/leadership | title=Quantinuum | Leaders | access-date=2022-05-25 | archive-date=2022-05-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520062648/https://www.quantinuum.com/leadership | url-status=dead }} Khan is the largest shareholder after Honeywell. In 2023 Khan became Vice-Chairman and Chief Product Officer of Quantinuum.{{cite web | url=https://www.quantinuum.com/news/quantinuum-names-rajeeb-raj-hazra-chief-executive-officer | title=Quantinuum Names Rajeeb (Raj) Hazra Chief Executive Officer }}

He is a Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge{{cite web|url=http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/fellows|title=St Edmund's College – University of Cambridge|website=www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822220821/http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/fellows|archive-date=2015-08-22}} and is also a fellow of the Judge Business School, where he is the "Leader in Residence".{{cite web|url=https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/fellows-associates-a-z/ilyas-khan/|title=Ilyas Khan|website=Cambridge Judge Business School|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023220602/https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/fellows-associates-a-z/ilyas-khan/|archive-date=2015-10-23}} His special interests include philanthropy and Wittgenstein, and he is a member of the British Wittgenstein Society.

Khan has lectured and published papers on Ludwig Wittgenstein, among other subjects.{{cite web|url=http://www.unav.edu/en/web/instituto-cultura-y-sociedad/detalle-etiquetas?articleId=5853007&tituloNoticia=at-a-time-when-specialization-is-on-the-rise-the-university-must-emphasize-the-connections-among-different-disciplines&fechaNoticia=02-02-2015|title=En una época en la que crece la especialización, la universidad debe enfatizar los vínculos entre las diferentes disciplinas|website=www.unav.edu|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602080208/http://www.unav.edu/en/web/instituto-cultura-y-sociedad/detalle-etiquetas?articleId=5853007&tituloNoticia=at-a-time-when-specialization-is-on-the-rise-the-university-must-emphasize-the-connections-among-different-disciplines&fechaNoticia=02-02-2015|archive-date=2016-06-02}}{{cite web|url=https://cambridge.academia.edu/IlyasKhan|title=Ilyas Khan - University of Cambridge - Academia.edu|website=cambridge.academia.edu|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219061221/http://cambridge.academia.edu/IlyasKhan|archive-date=2018-02-19}}

Between 2015–2018 Khan served as chairman of the Stephen Hawking Foundation, which was established on the initiative of Professor Stephen Hawking to further the study of Cosmology, Astrophysics and Fundamental Particle Physics and to facilitate research into Motor Neuron Disease / Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MND/ALS).{{Cite web|url=http://www.stephenhawkingfoundation.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220070128/http://www.stephenhawkingfoundation.org/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-12-20|title=The Stephen Hawking Foundation {{!}} The Stephen Hawking Foundation|date=2015-12-20|access-date=2020-02-05}}

Khan served two terms as the chairman of the prominent British charity Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) {{Cite web|url=http://www.leonardcheshire.org/who-we-are/people/trustees|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222001520/http://www.leonardcheshire.org/who-we-are/people/trustees|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-02-22|title=Trustees {{!}} Leonard Cheshire Disability|date=2014-02-22|access-date=2020-02-05}}— the largest organization of its kind in the world, with a presence in over 50 countries.{{Cite web|url=http://www.leonardcheshire.org/international|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213120002/http://www.leonardcheshire.org/international|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-02-13|title=International {{!}} Leonard Cheshire Disability|date=2014-02-13|access-date=2020-02-05}}

Khan is the chairman of Topos Institute,{{Cite web|title=Our Team|url=https://topos.institute/team|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Topos Institute|language=en-US}} a non-profit research institute devoted to shaping technology for public benefit by advancing sciences of connection and integration.

Khan is a patron of the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst,{{cite web |url=http://www.christianheritagecentre.com/whoweare.html |title=The Christian Heritage Centre |access-date=2014-02-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140129155919/http://www.christianheritagecentre.com/whoweare.html |archive-date=2014-01-29 }} which aims to make the collections and resources at Stonyhurst College more widely accessible. The project has the support of Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor, Lord Guthrie, and Lord David Alton.

In September 2015 Pope Francis elevated Khan to a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great for his contribution to the Church and community.[https://web.archive.org/web/20151210055404/http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/news/fellow-commoner-ilyas-khan-receives-papal-knighthood-pope-francis Ilyas Khan, receives a Papal Knighthood from Pope Francis]

In 2015 Khan ranked 21st in The Tablet's list of Britain's most influential lay Catholics.{{cite web |first= |title=Britain's most influential Catholics revealed on The Tablet's Top 100 list |url=http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2065/0/bankers-politicians-and-showbusiness-stars-rub-shoulders-on-the-tablet-s-new-top-100-list |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725082129/http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2065/0/bankers-politicians-and-showbusiness-stars-rub-shoulders-on-the-tablet-s-new-top-100-list |archive-date=2015-07-25 |website=www.thetablet.co.uk}}{{cite web|url=http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/27426|title=Tablet unveils Top 100 Catholics in UK today (2015) – ICN|website=www.indcatholicnews.com|date=13 May 2015 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034439/http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=27426|archive-date=2015-09-24}}

Khan is listed in the Catholic Herald 'Catholics of Today' supplements most recently in 2022, profiling leading Catholics in a wide range of spheres and industries.{{cite web | url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/uk-catholic-leaders-of-today-2022-ilyas-khan/ | title=UK Catholic Leaders of Today 2022: Ilyas Khan | date=2 November 2022 }}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.lcdisability.org/ Leonard Cheshire Disability] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215200718/http://www.lcdisability.org/ |date=2010-12-15 }}
• [http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-muslim-finds-the-catholic-faith-through-geography-and-theology/#ixzz22kJRnyBF/ National Catholic Register] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103133637/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-muslim-finds-the-catholic-faith-through-geography-and-theology#ixzz22kJRnyBF/ |date=2012-11-03 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120707233242/http://cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=30868 Catholic News profile]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Ilyas}}

Category:1962 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London

Category:British former Muslims

Category:English Roman Catholics

Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Islam

Category:Knights of St. Gregory the Great

Category:People from Lancashire (before 1974)

Category:Businesspeople from Lancashire

Category:Businesspeople awarded knighthoods