Dr. Andreu Riera (September 20, 1970 – March 11, 2006)

Dr. Riera initiated his academic research in 1993 at a leading research group specializing in e-voting security at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. This research group accounts for an extensive list of scientific results, including over 25 publications in international journals and conferences and the first two European PhD theses on electronic voting security. Dr. Riera is the author of one of these PhD theses, “Design of Implementable Solutions for Large Scale Electronic Voting Schemes”, which was published in 1999. This research group also participated in the first Internet binding election in Europe (i.e., the 1997 election to the Presidency of the IEEE IT Spanish chapter).

In June 2001, Dr. Riera founded Scytl with other entrepreneurs with the mission of developing and marketing specialized security technologies that would make electronic voting completely secure and trustworthy. Since then, Scytl has become a clear reference in the electronic voting industry. Scytl’s products incorporate unique cryptographic protocols that enable to carry out all types of electronic voting processes or elections in a completely secure and auditable manner. Scytl’s advanced e-voting security technology positions the company as the leader in the e-voting market.

Dr. Riera co-authored eight international patents, four of which refer to technical models to bring confidence to e-voting systems. Dr. Riera participated as a lecturer and speaker in numerous international conferences and seminars on e-voting security. Dr. Riera also shared his extensive knowledge on e-voting as advisor of numerous governments and international institutions.

Dr. Riera was a serial entrepreneur and was involved in many different ventures in the technology field. Dr. Riera combined these activities with his position as the Chairman of Scytl.

Dr. Riera had a bachelor degree in Computer Engineering and a PhD in Cryptography (summa cum laude) from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Dr. Riera passed away on March 11, 2006. His significant scientific contribution to e-voting and his legacy for e-democracy remain through Scytl.