Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

The senior executive accountable for an organization's information-security strategy, risk posture, and incident-response capability, typically reporting to the CIO, COO, or CEO. It belongs to the Roles & Careers category of cybersecurity.

The senior executive accountable for an organization's information-security strategy, risk posture, and incident-response capability, typically reporting to the CIO, COO, or CEO.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is the senior executive accountable for protecting an organization's information assets, systems, and people. Responsibilities include setting security strategy aligned to business objectives, owning the cyber-risk register, leading incident response and crisis communication, overseeing the security organization (architecture, operations, GRC, awareness), and reporting cyber risk to the board. Modern CISOs also drive compliance with SEC cyber-disclosure rules, NIS2, DORA, and sector-specific regimes. Common qualifications include 15+ years in IT/security, leadership experience, certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or CCISO, and increasingly an MBA or equivalent business credentials. The CISO typically reports to the CIO, CTO, COO, or CEO depending on organizational maturity.

Defences for Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.

Common alternative names include: CISO, Head of Information Security.