Ellouise Langeveld, Altron Karabina

Being on the frontlines is not for the fainthearted. According to a recent study from Tessian, one in five CISOs works more than 25 hours extra per week. Different research out of BlackFog shows that nearly a third of all of the CISOs surveyed were considering leaving their current role. They call it “the great CISO resignation” and whether it’s a work-life balance-led burnout, budget pressures, under-resourced teams or the increasing pressure placed on security leaders to perform, the role has expanded far beyond technological skills.

“Around the world, there has been a drive to optimise business costs and find new routes to market, and technology is the most common enabler to achieve both of these, says Greg Day, Cybereason’s vice president and global field CISO in EMEA. He says that too many boards still don’t have any cyber representatives. But this is changing, he adds, and businesses are waking up to just how dependent they’ve become on technology to function. Crucial connectors A CISO is the bridge between the technical and management side of an organisation. “It’s a crucial role,” says David Emm, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky. “They’re the glue and their job is basically to articulate a company’s cybersecurity strategy. A CISO is the way the board stays informed.” And in today’s security landscape, it’s never been more important for CISOs and board members to work closely together.