Leadership Team
Jacob Khouli, MBA, P.Eng, CISSP
Co-Founder and CEO
Jacob Khouli is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in engineering, cybersecurity, and leadership. His journey has been marked by excellence and a commitment to protecting critical assets, including sensitive data.
Recognized by the Ontario provincial government in Canada, Jacob is a licensed professional engineer (P.Eng.). A P.Eng. represents the highest standards of engineering knowledge, experience and professionalism in Canada, the US, and the UK.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems Engineering from Carleton University (Canada). He also holds an MBA (Finance) with distinction from Imperial Business School (UK). Additionally, Jacob holds a CISSP certification from the United States, the global gold standard in cybersecurity practice.
While leading CISC, Jacob continues to play a pivotal role at the Bank of Canada, the central bank of Canada. His mission? To enhance resilience against catastrophic disruptions - whether acts of God, cyber threats, or state-sponsored terrorism threats. The stakes were high: the national economy and financial stability, and managing the government’s financial operations, all hung in the balance.
Before joining the Bank of Canada, Jacob spent years as a senior consultant and cloud solutions architect at Salesforce Inc., a global big tech company. His expertise guided global clients - including the Royal Bank of Canada, Walmart, Honda, Citigroup, Loblaws International, and the Singaporean Government - on successful digital transformation journeys.
Jacob’s goal is to help businesses afford safeguarding their digital frontiers by keeping their employees aware, digital landscapes fortified, , and threats thwarted - one step at a time.
Jean Ainsley, MBA, M.Sc.
Co-Founder and President
Jean Ainsley is an expert in online and blended learning with extensive experience across top institutions.
At Cranfield University, she managed the university’s portfolio of Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) courses, establishing vendor partnerships and overseeing course development and budgets.
At the University of Derby, she set standards of excellence for online and hybrid courses, led the design and production of Online Faculty Training, and updated course content and assessments.
Her role at Örebro University involved consulting on converting offline content into online-first learning and developing lesson plans and assessments for community college courses.
Jean's academic background is just as impressive. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Development Studies and a Master of Science in Media and Communication Studies from Lund University in Sweden. Additionally, she earned her MBA with a distinction from Imperial Business School (UK), equipping her with a strong foundation in both educational theory and business management.
At CISC, Jean aims to leverage her expertise to develop educational programs that enhance cybersecurity awareness and equip our clients with the skills needed to tackle digital threats.
Otto von Braun, MBA, MASc
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Otto is a seasoned technology expert with over a decade of experience.
At Nvidia, Otto plays a key role as an Information Security Architect, defining comprehensive cybersecurity solutions for products. He mentors teams, provides leadership, and coaches on best practices in security architecture.
During his tenure at Adobe and BlackBerry, Otto specialized in security protocols, cryptography, authentication, and authorization. He significantly enhanced security infrastructures, working on multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and identity management technologies.
Otto also led major cybersecurity remediation projects, transforming companies’ infrastructure to hybrid cloud environments. His leadership fortified customers’ security postures and streamlined their technology operations.
Otto holds a Master of Applied Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering ffrom The University of British Columbia. Additionally, he earned his MBA (Management) with a distinction from Imperial Business School in the UK.
His comprehensive understanding of both the technical and strategic aspects of cybersecurity makes him an invaluable asset to both our team and the clients we serve.
At CISC, Otto is committed to driving innovation and excellence in cybersecurity, ensuring organizations are well-equipped to face the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Eleonora Ann-Katrin, MBA, BAF
Advisor
Eleonora Ann-Katrin brings a wealth of expertise in financial management and strategic planning to her role as an Advisor at CISC. She supervises the company’s financial objectives, including budgeting, projections, coverage, risk management, and insurance.
Additionally, as the Director of Finance at Gelato, Eleonora leads the finance department, directs business strategic planning, and develops performance measures that align with the company’s goals. Her dual roles showcase her capacity to handle complex financial landscapes with precision and insight.
Previously, as the Commercial Finance Director at WorldRemit, Eleonora oversaw the company's financial objectives. Her leadership and financial acumen were instrumental in driving the company’s growth and stability.
At Barclaycard, Global Commercial Payments, she served as a Business Performance Manager, leading the central reporting team and ensuring accurate forecasting and budget adherence while maintaining high standards of financial and accounting treatment for new initiatives.
Eleonora holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance (BAF) from the University of Exeter and an MBA (Finance) from Imperial College London. Her educational background, combined with her extensive professional experience, provides her with a comprehensive understanding of both the technical and strategic aspects of finance.
Her dedication to financial excellence and strategic insight makes Eleonora an invaluable asset to CISC, where she continues to drive the company's financial success and stability.