Dillon Dieffenbach is a transformational leader and cybersecurity visionary whose career spans more than twenty years of protecting the world’s most critical systems and infrastructures. As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CI-Discern, Dillon is driving a new era of cyber-informed resilience across critical infrastructure sectors—empowering organizations that form the backbone of global stability and economic continuity. Under his leadership, CI-Discern has rapidly positioned itself as a trusted partner to energy, utility, and national security stakeholders, leveraging a unique blend of operational technology (OT) security expertise, regulatory acumen, and advanced engineering methodologies to mitigate emerging threats. Dillon’s leadership philosophy is grounded in pragmatic innovation—where cybersecurity is not just a compliance exercise, but a strategic enabler of mission assurance, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth.

Before founding CI-Discern, Dillon spent sixteen years at Ernst & Young (EY), where he shaped cybersecurity strategy at both the global and regional levels. As Principal for Cybersecurity and Trusted Technology in the Americas, he led EY’s Energy, Resources, and Critical Infrastructure practice—building and scaling multidisciplinary teams to support some of the world’s largest power, utilities, and oil and gas enterprises. Dillon played a pivotal role in advancing systemic risk management for the U.S. bulk electric system, working closely with federal agencies, regulators, and corporate executives to strengthen national energy resilience. Earlier in his tenure, as EY Japan’s Cybersecurity Lead Partner, Dillon founded and grew the firm’s cybersecurity consulting practice in Tokyo, helping major domestic and multinational corporations navigate complex regulatory environments, implement enterprise-wide cyber risk programs, and align their security posture with global best practices.

At CI-Discern, Dillon continues to shape the industry conversation on cyber-physical convergence and consequence-driven engineering. His firm became an official licensee of Idaho National Laboratory’s Consequence-driven, Cyber-informed Engineering (CCE) program in 2024—a milestone that underscores CI-Discern’s commitment to engineering security from the ground up. With a team composed of former CISOs from the U.S. Department of Energy and Western Area Power Administration, Dillon champions an ecosystem-driven approach to resilience—bridging public and private sectors to tackle the most complex security challenges facing critical infrastructure operators today. His work reflects an enduring belief that resilience is not an endpoint, but an evolving capability rooted in foresight, collaboration, and disciplined execution.

Dillon holds a degree from Furman University and remains deeply engaged in the development of future leaders in innovation and technology as a member of Furman’s Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership Committee. He also serves as an active member of the Government Business Executive Forum and the American Public Power Association. Across every facet of his career, Dillon’s impact is defined by a consistent throughline: building trust, inspiring teams, and translating cyber complexity into business clarity for the organizations that power our world.

CI-Discern, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Ernst & Young (EY), Partner

Cybersecurity and Trusted Technology Leader

EY Japan Cybersecurity Leader

Delta Financial, Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

Furman University, Bachelor of General Studies – Accounting and Business Administration

Certified Information Systems Auditor® (CISA), ISACA

Furman University – Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leadership Committee Member

Government Business Executive Forum, Member

American Public Power Association, Member