Head of Tortora Brayda House
His Grace, Carlo Maria Emilio Alfredo Oddo Nasibu Tortora Brayda, was born in Rome, Italy, and is the current Head of the House of Tortora Brayda. Marquis of Belvedere, Marquis of San Giuliano, Duke della Chiusa, Duke of Forli, Count of Policastro, Baron of Tortora, Baron of Teverola, Lord of Belvedere, Palmoli, Fratta Piccola, Molfetta, Sapri, and Le Boccati.
Carlo is also an uncle to the Solomonic princes, their Imperial Highnesses, Yokshan and Joel Makonnen Haile Selassie, who are in the royal succession of the Ethiopian throne.
Carlo Tortora Brayda is a globally recognized thought leader in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and public-private partnerships, with a career spanning technology, international diplomacy, and sustainable development. He is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Tortora Brayda Institute for AI & Cybersecurity, a global think tank that fosters partnerships for national security and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
He is also the Founder and CEO of Cyber Eagle, a landmark $26 billion private-public initiative designed to elevate the cybersecurity resilience of one million critical infrastructure companies across NATO-aligned nations. Cyber Eagle reflects his long-standing commitment to the collective defense frameworks of the United States, the Five Eyes alliance, and NATO.
A Chartered Engineer in AI information systems, Tortora Brayda has received numerous accolades for innovation and entrepreneurship, including the Shell Livewire Young Entrepreneur of the Year (UK), Oxfordshire Business of the Year, and the Guildford Mayor's Cup, and was honored at St James's Palace during Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2023, and is consistently ranked among the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in cybersecurity, ESG, and national security.
Earlier in his career, he founded Gorilla Corporation, a leading global SaaS and partner development company, which he later chaired. Gorilla was signed as a Sector D Member of the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and played a role in internet standardization efforts. As CEO, he led numerous M&A transactions and helped scale the channel revenue of multiple U.S.-based unicorns.
His influence has extended to global policymaking arenas. He has spoken at United Nations summits, including the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and ITU events, as well as at the British Council, World Summit AI (Amsterdam), and Quantum AI (New York City). He served as an Expert Contributor to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Panel in support of the G20 Summit (2012), focusing on ethics, security, and sustainability in emerging technologies.
Tortora Brayda is also an Equity Partner at Cyberstratos, part of CEA Worldwide, a global investment bank and M&A advisory firm specializing in cybersecurity. In parallel, he serves as a Judge for the United Nations' AI for Good Innovation Factory, including its climate program showcased at UNFCCC COP conferences.
"Our strength has always lied in working together. Now, with technology's immense potential, we stand at a crossroads. Collaboration can usher in an era of shared prosperity, or disunity could lead to our downfall. The future rests on our ability to choose cooperation."
The House of Tortora Brayda is an ancient noble lineage of Lombard and Frankish origin, tracing its roots deep into the early medieval aristocracy of Italy and Francia. The family descends through a direct patrilineal line from the Guideschi (or Widonid) dynasty, a prominent Frankish noble house that played a central role in the political landscape of the Carolingian and post-Carolingian eras.
This noble bloodline rises through such distinguished ancestors as Guaimar IV, Prince of Salerno, and Giovanni Lamberto II, also Prince of Salerno, extending further to Lambert II, Duke of Spoleto, son of Guy (Wido) of Spoleto, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor. The lineage ultimately ascends to Garnier I of Bourgogne, the first Count of Poitiers, marking a direct hereditary connection to some of the earliest holders of comital and imperial titles in Western Europe. The Tortora Brayda family stands today as a living embodiment of this enduring legacy, shaped by centuries of leadership, loyalty, and noble service across Southern and Central Italy.
International Development and Early UN Involvement
Tortora Brayda's public sector journey began as a volunteer at the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid in Geneva, followed by formative meetings with UN Secretaries-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan, where he explored the role of public-private partnerships in global development.
In 2003, he founded Alchemy World Projects in Ethiopia, a non-profit focused on poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship. Operating in coordination with the Ethiopian government, the initiative successfully enabled thousands of individuals to transition into employment and small enterprise creation. He served as Advisor on Trade and Industry to Federal President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, and worked with several regional governments, notably in Amhara State, representing over 30 million citizens.
His success in this domain led to his selection by the World Economic Forum as a Special Constituent Member, where he actively contributed to the Africa Forum in Cape Town. During this period, he worked with national leaders across the continent as well as multinational firms like Microsoft and key UN agencies including UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, and ITU, to promote entrepreneurship and foreign direct investment across Africa.