2026 Report Finds Executive-Level CISO Titles More Prevalent than Ever

The 2026 State of the CISO Benchmark Report highlights shifting CISO leveling, evolving reporting structures, and expanding role scope

BOSTON, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IANS and Artico Search today released the 2026 State of the CISO Benchmark Report, revealing a significant structural shift in the cybersecurity leadership landscape. Executive-level titles, such as SVP, EVP, or Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), now represent the plurality of how infosec leaders are leveled.

As cybersecurity continues to gain prominence, CISOs are increasingly expected to serve not only as technical leaders but also as enterprise-wide digital risk strategists. This elevation has brought greater visibility and influence with senior leadership and boards, along with broader accountability, deeper cross-functional engagement, and heightened expectations.

"The CISO role has clearly reached an inflection point," said Nick Kakolowski, Senior Director, CISO Research at IANS. "Executive-level titles are becoming more common, but many CISOs are still operating within legacy structures that haven't kept pace with the scope and expectations now placed on the role."

Key Findings from the 2026 State of the CISO Benchmark Report:

• Executive-level CISO titles now dominate across company sizes. For the first time, a larger share of CISOs retain executive-level titles than either VP- or director-level titles. In large enterprises, executive-level representation increased from 33% in 2023 to 47% in 2025, with even sharper gains among large publicly traded companies.
• CISOs with more senior titles are more likely to report outside of IT. While most CISOs (64%) still report into IT leadership, 36% report to business leaders such as the CEO, COO, general counsel, or chief risk officer. Executive-level CISOs are significantly more likely to report outside of IT to these other business leaders than their VP- or director-level peers.
• Scope expansion is outpacing resources for many CISOs. More than half (52%) of CISOs report that their scope is no longer fully manageable, particularly in smaller organizations and industries with leaner security teams. CISOs warn that these imbalances can delay strategic initiatives and drive more reactive security operations.
• CISO career paths reflect growing mobility and demand. CISOs report an average tenure of nine years, with most having served as CISO at multiple organizations and across multiple industries.
• Many CISOs are considering their next move. Nearly seven in ten CISOs are open to making a career move within the next year, whether to a larger organization, a different industry, or an adjacent executive leadership role.

"The demand for experienced CISOs remains strong as the role continues to become more complex and more 'executive,'" said Steve Martano, IANS Faculty and Partner at Artico Search's Cyber Practice. "Understanding how organizations define scope, reporting structure, and leadership access and visibility is critical for CISOs planning their next move and for companies looking to hire or retain security leaders."

Download the 2026 State of the CISO Snapshot Report or request a copy of the full benchmark report by contacting [email protected].

Methodology

The 2026 State of the CISO Benchmark Report is based on the sixth annual IANS and Artico Search CISO Compensation and Budget Research Study. Data was collected between April and November 2025 and includes responses from 662 CISOs across industries and organization sizes.

About IANS

IANS helps cybersecurity leaders act faster and make better decisions by providing expert insights and actionable guidance from more than 150 experienced practitioners, proprietary benchmarking data, content-rich events, peer-to-peer information-sharing opportunities, and customized consulting services.

About Artico Search

Founded in 2021, Artico Search's team of executive recruiters focuses on a "grow and protect" model, recruiting senior go-to-market and security executives for growth-stage, private equity-backed, and public companies.

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SOURCE IANS Research