The role and purpose of the corporate security function has changed due to several trends both inside of, and external from, the business. Successful CSOs have adapted their leadership style and are recruiting teams to meet these challenges head on. The present moment offers an opportunity for influence and significant value-add to the business for CSOs who can meet these challenges head on.

In the global operating environment, risks are elevated and interconnected

For several years, C-Suite executives have articulated their concerns about the changing environment for doing business. In the most recent Global Risks Report from the World Economic Forum, leaders ranked risks by their severity over both the short- (2 years) and long-term (10 years). Several of the risks they consider to be more severe over both timeframes are directly or indirectly within the purview of the corporate security function: state-based armed conflict, extreme weather events, cyber espionage and warfare, and crime and illicit economic activity, for example (fig. 1).

Figure 1: Global risks over 2 and 10 years, ranked by severity, 2025 Global Risks Report, World Economic Forum

They also recognise that risks are increasingly interconnected (fig. 2). As a result, they are beginning to prioritise a more holistic approach to risk management. Most companies operate an enterprise risk management framework, and the C-Suite executives we interview tell us about the importance of working across silos when managing and mitigating the risks their companies face.

Figure 2: Interconnected risks, 2025 Global Risks Report, World Economic Forum

Boards are especially concerned to ensure cyber security is properly integrated to the wider risk management approach due to dependence on technology and digital systems and the heightened threat of cyber-attack. Within the FTSE 100, boards are now prioritising risk experience over technical expertise when hiring CISOs. As one of the leading CISO executive search consultants told us for The Clarity Factory’s study on the relationship between physical and cyber security, “Many FTSE 100 companies are looking for a CISO with risk experience because they need someone who can help the board to own the risk, who can manage upwards and face off with regulators. It used to be all about technology, but now they want someone who has experience influencing the board, with exceptional communication and relationship building skills, and who can embed the security strategy into the business strategy.”

There is evidence that integrating security into risk management also delivers business benefits. For example, companies that integrate cyber security into their enterprise risk management programme and look at risk holistically outperform their peers on a range of business metrics, including revenue growth, market share, customer satisfaction and trust, and employee productivity. Executives interviewed for a Clarity Factory study on the relationship between corporate security and cyber security recognised the importance of this interface. A C-Suite member who manages both the CSO and CISO at one of the world’s largest companies commented, ‘I recognise the interconnectedness of the risks we face, absolutely. I am a better risk owner as a result of having them both report into me.’

For CSOs, so many areas of accountability can only be managed effectively through partnerships with other functions: access management, supply chain, insider risk, fraud, and executive protection rely on collaboration with operations, HR, technology, and cyber, to name just a few. Collaboration and influence are critical to effective corporate security.

What does this mean for CSOs?

• You need to be a risk leader first. This means being confident in the risk domain, understanding how you fit relative to your peers, and avoiding the temptation to develop standalone ‘security risk management’ frameworks that are adjuncts to the company’s mainstream risk management structures and processes.
• You and your team must partner across the business to meet your own objectives, as well as contribute to those of others where your talent and assets can assist.
• You must develop a mature and business-led relationship with the CISO: you need one another.
• You must be a collaborative leader, whose style is open, consultative, matrix-driven, curious, and mission-focused.
• You must be an exceptional stakeholder relationship manager, capable of navigating the complex and nuanced challenges of relationships across a large multinational corporation.
• You must develop the skills to be a compelling and inspiring communicator and storyteller in order to build trust to influence across the company. This is a skillset that is non-negotiable for all leaders with a global business.

Organisations are fuelled by innovation, especially through technology and digitalisation, and they are exploring the opportunities and challenges of AI.

Innovation is now powered through and by technology systems, and three-quarters of top performing CEOs say that competitive advantage depends on who has the most advanced Generative AI. CSOs must embrace the opportunities afforded by new technologies, while remaining alive to the challenges and threats they pose.

In a survey of CSOs conducted in partnership with SI Placement in 2024, we found that corporate security functions are making progress on technology, but that there is more work to do. The vast majority of CSOs said they expect the proportion of their budget spent on technology to increase in the next 2-3 years, and technology and AI were ranked as the second and third most important factors impacting talent needs within the function over the next 3-5 years (fig. 3). One-third said that ‘insufficient technology and digital skills’ is one of the top three challenges for the function.

Figure 3: What are three factors will have the biggest impact on the talent needs of your security function over the next 3-5 years? (CSOs from MNCs)

There is much work still to do. CSOs don’t rate technology fluency as one of the most important skills for members of their team (fig. 4), and only half of the CSOs we surveyed said they had specialist technology skills within their team.

Figure 4: What are the three most critical skills that all members of the security function need to have (all respondents)

What does this mean for CSOs?

• CSOs must embrace technology, digitalisation, and AI. They must recognise that technology is not an ‘add-on’ to the function; it will fundamentally change what it does and how. Some of the CSOs we interviewed told us they relied on the younger tech-native members of their team. This is not an effective approach to managing this trend. CSOs must lead from the front.
• CSOs and their teams must work proactively with vendors, who are developing the technology tools that can power change within corporate security functions. Vendors can offer support and education to CSOs and their teams, and in the longer-term, CSOs should partner with vendors to shape the products they develop.
• CSOs must adopt a data-driven approach to strategy, planning and decision making to be in line with their peers across the business.

Corporate security teams are changing. They are younger, multigenerational, diverse in terms of identity and career background, and are embracing outsourced delivery.

Data from the 2024 SI Placement / Clarity Factory survey shows that the composition of corporate security teams has changed significantly in recent years. The proportion of women on corporate security teams has grown: 35% of those under 45 years are women, compared to 15% over 55 years (fig. 5). There remains a gender gap at leadership level: two-thirds of CSOs have fewer than 25% women on their leadership team. CSOs ranked ‘recruiting diverse candidates’ as their top recruitment challenge.

Figure 5: What is your gender (all respondents, by age)

The professional backgrounds of corporate security team members are changing: 80% of those 55+ come from a ‘traditional’ background (military, law enforcement or government intelligence), compared to 59% under 45 years (fig. 6). The younger generation are also less likely to think the traditional background is important for corporate security professionals. Younger team members are more likely to have experience from elsewhere within the business, which is important given the collaboration imperative for corporate security.

Figure 6: Do you have prior military, law enforcement, or government intelligence experience? (all respondents, by age)

One of the most significant trends is the rise of outsourcing by corporate security functions. Half of the CSOs we surveyed spend more than 50% of their budget on outsourced services, and the types of services they outsource is more diverse, including guarding, embedded intelligence analysts, SOC staff, and regional security managers. There are even some companies that outsource almost all roles within the function. These trends will continue: almost half of CSOs said they expect to increase outsourcing as a proportion of their budget in next two to three years.

What does this mean for CSOs?

• CSOs must lead in a way that is open and inclusive. Data shows that the ‘diversity dividend’ is only realised in work environments that enable all team members to do their best work and contribute fully to achieving the team’s objectives.
• CSOs must explore the opportunities of outsourcing, including across a more varied range of services and roles, especially in the light of emerging technologies.

CSOs are not alone in needing to adjust their leadership style.

CSOs are not alone in needing to adjust their leadership style in response to trends in the global business operating environment. In a major study, Harvard Business School analysed 5000 C-Suite job descriptions issued by Russell Reynolds Associates since 2000, to understand whether the most prized skills and experience had changed over that period. They found that from 2007 onwards, social skills were prioritised over strength in managing financial and material resources (fig. 7), because of a number of trends, including increased organisation size and complexity, the rise of technology, and social media. Listening, communication, empathy, and influencing are critical skills for leaders in this business environment. In other words, it’s no good being able to read the balance sheet if you can’t read the room.

Figure 7: Skills sought in C-Suite job descriptions since 2000, Harvard Business Review

The most effective CSOs for tomorrow – and today

In today’s business environment, the most effective CSOs will be those who master collaboration and influence across the business, integrate their function into the wider risk management framework, remain curious and open to innovation, are proficient communicators and storytellers, appreciate the need to partner with vendors rather than hold them at arm’s length, and are open and inclusive leaders capable of getting the most out of their dynamic teams. These are the CSOs that will play a part in shaping the future of their company, as well as the future of the function.

References and acknowledgements

This insight draws heavily on research conducted in partnership with SI Placement, and references a number of papers co-authored with Kathy Lavinder. More information on the 2024 joint SI Placement and Clarity Factory programme, Future Talent, can be found here.

This insight references a forthcoming study on the relationship between physical and cyber security that will be published in April/May 2025. More information about the study can be found here.

Rachel Briggs OBE is Founder and CEO of The Clarity Factory
Kathy Lavinder is Founder and Executive Director of SI Placement

The Clarity Factory consults with major multinationals, producing knowledge, actionable insights, and practical solutions to drive innovation in corporate security and cyber security.

SI Placement is the premier retained recruiting firm operating in the security arena. With more than 20 years’ experience and a proven track record for assisting multinationals and the family offices of the high-net-worth community with critical talent needs, SI Placement has a unique window into the needs and concerns of complex organisations.

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