A new or replacement CISO
Retained search manages confidentiality, assesses board-level communication as rigorously as technical depth, and plans for counteroffers from the start.
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Practice
Cybersecurity
Security leadership and specialist talent for organizations where cyber risk is now a board-level issue and the talent gap is measured in years, not months.
Market view
What we are seeing
Cybersecurity has moved from the server room to the boardroom. We appoint CISOs and security leaders who can brief a board and run a security program in the same week, and we staff the engineers, analysts and architects those programs depend on.
Board-level cyber riskIdentity and cloud securityDetection and responseSecuring AI
Roles we place
Leadership
- Chief Information Security Officer
- Deputy CISO
- Head of Security Operations
- Head of Identity and Access Management
- Chief Technology Risk Officer
Technology
- Cloud security architects
- IAM engineers
- Detection and response engineers
- Application security engineers
Specialist
- Governance, risk and compliance analysts
- Third party risk specialists
- Security awareness and culture leads
- Privacy and data protection specialists
Industry context
What is shaping this practice
- Boards are now expected to understand and oversee cyber risk, which has raised the profile and the accountability of the CISO role.
- Disclosure rules and regulatory expectations for incident reporting have tightened in the US, Europe and India.
- Cloud adoption, identity sprawl and AI have expanded the attack surface faster than many security programs have matured.
- The global shortage of experienced security professionals keeps compensation high and tenure short for proven practitioners.
Challenges
Where the pressure sits
- CISO candidates must combine technical depth with board communication and business judgment
- Security leaders are frequently approached, which makes retention and counteroffers a real search risk
- Specialist roles in cloud security, identity and detection engineering are scarce and contested
- Security operations need continuous coverage, which strains small in-house teams
- Some roles require clearances or background checks that narrow the available pool
Talent needs
Leadership and technology
Leadership
- Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy CISO
- Heads of Security Operations, Security Architecture and Identity
- Technology risk, resilience and third party risk leadership
- Product and application security leadership
- Privacy and data protection leadership working alongside security
Technology
- Cloud security architecture and posture management
- Identity and access management engineering
- Detection engineering, threat hunting and incident response
- Application and product security engineering
- Security for AI systems, including model and data protection
Engagement
Ways to start
Specialists for an active security program
Scarce security skills can be added for a defined phase without waiting on a full permanent hiring cycle.
Explore solutionAn identity or cloud security uplift
A delivery team held to a defined outcome is often more effective than individual contractors for a bounded security program.
Explore solutionProcess considerations
- Security leadership searches are run confidentially, with approved messaging and controlled outreach agreed before research begins.
- Background, reference and clearance requirements are agreed with you up front and built into screening.
- Staffed and managed security teams are scoped with access, location and data handling controls agreed before mobilization.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you assess a CISO's ability to work with a board?
Assessment includes structured scenarios on board reporting, risk appetite and incident communication alongside technical evaluation, with references sought from people who have seen the candidate in front of a board where legally permitted.
Can you find candidates who hold specific clearances?
Where a role requires a clearance or enhanced background check, we build that into the search universe and screening. Formal clearance decisions remain with the relevant authority and the hiring organization.
How quickly can you provide security specialists?
Qualified submittals are typically provided within 48 hours of a fully scoped requirement, subject to any clearance or background requirements for the role.
Can a CISO search stay confidential from the current incumbent?
Yes. Confidential replacement searches are common in this practice, and we agree messaging and outreach controls with you before any candidate is approached.
How we help
Solutions applied in this practice
Search, staffing, delivery and capability work, sequenced to the problem rather than sold as a bundle.
Retained Executive Search
Board and C-suite appointments run as a disciplined research process.
Staffing Solutions
Contract, contract to hire and direct hire technology and engineering talent.
GCC Services
Set up a capability center in India, run it while it matures, then hand it over.
Leadership Advisory and Human Capital Strategy
Decide the shape of the leadership team before you decide who fills it.
SOW and Managed Teams
Buy an outcome and a team that owns it, not a stack of individual requisitions.
AI and Technology Solutions
Leadership, talent and delivery teams for AI and technology initiatives.
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Other practices
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Hiring in cybersecurity?
Start with a market conversation. We will share what the role looks like in the current market before anyone commits.