When CISOs Lose Their Seat at the Table and What Comes Next
TriUnity Strategies | 4/30/25
Cybersecurity leaders are being shifted out of IT teams and made to report under finance or risk. On the surface this is about securing budgets. Beneath that it exposes a deeper gap in how we prepare IT chiefs to lead across the enterprise. If a CISO can’t speak the language of the board, the answer shouldn’t be a new reporting line—it should be better management training and business fluency from day one.
Emerging Problem
Many organizations feel compelled to move CISOs under the CFO just to get their security budgets approved. That workaround masks a core issue: technically brilliant security professionals often lack the skills to navigate enterprise finance, engage stakeholders, and drive cultural change. Shuffling the org chart can’t fix a talent pipeline that rewards deep technical chops over true leadership.
Why This Matters
Security is not a back-office IT concern. It’s a strategic business risk that affects every part of an organization. When CISOs can’t translate threats into financial impact, critical projects stall. Without strong cross-functional influence, security roadmaps become reactive. In the long run this leads to misaligned priorities, delayed initiatives, and higher breach risk—ultimately costing far more than any budget line.
How We Got Here
Over the past two decades IT career paths have prized technical expertise above all else. Engineers who mastered firewalls and malware analysis were fast-tracked into senior roles. Yet running a security program demands much more: budget ownership, risk modeling in dollar terms, executive storytelling, and change leadership. Without structured development in those areas, new CISOs arrive unprepared for the broader challenges of the C-suite.
Building a Healthier Future
To restore security leaders to their rightful seat at the table we need to redefine how we develop IT chiefs:
Embed Leadership Training Early
Introduce management skills into technical career tracks. Rotations through finance, operations, and audit give future CISOs firsthand exposure to budgeting cycles and boardroom dynamics.
Define New Competencies
Move beyond technical metrics. Promotion criteria must include measurable business outcomes—such as cost avoidance, risk reduction in financial terms, and successful cross-departmental initiatives.
Foster Mentorship and Cross Pollination
Pair aspiring CISOs with senior leaders outside IT. Mentors in finance or operations can help translate technical risk into business impact and build fluency on both sides.
What Businesses Must Do
To tackle this industry-wide gap every company should:
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Invest in leadership development programs for IT and security teams that include formal courses in finance, communication, and change management
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Create shadow programs where security leaders attend board or risk committee meetings as observers
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Rotate top security talent through roles in compliance, vendor management, or audit to broaden their business perspective
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Update hiring and promotion frameworks to require demonstrated business acumen alongside technical mastery for any senior security role
What CISOs Must Do
Individual CISOs can get ahead of this issue by taking charge of their own development:
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Own your business education through MBAs, executive courses, or finance workshops to sharpen your understanding of profit and loss and strategic planning
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Build regular touchpoints with finance, legal, and operations leaders to learn their priorities and align your security roadmap accordingly
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Champion metrics that matter by reporting security outcomes in business terms—show how investments reduce potential financial impact in clear dollar amounts
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Mentor future leaders by sharing your experiences navigating executive-level challenges so the next generation starts with stronger management foundations
Next Steps for a Stronger Security Culture
When CISOs speak fluent business, organizations don’t need to move reporting lines just to be heard. By sharpening management skills across the IT sector—both through societal investments in education and within each company through targeted development—we can ensure security leaders truly deserve their seat at the table and can lead with confidence and credibility.
A stronger CISO means a stronger security posture. Let’s commit to building the right skills, redefining career paths, and creating a culture where cybersecurity is recognized not just as a technical necessity but as a core business function. Only then will our security chiefs be equipped to protect the organization from the risks of tomorrow.