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Cybersecurity statistics / Leadership Experience

71% of people working in cybersecurity roles want a balance of both technical hands-on experience and strategic/executive leadership experience in a cybersecurity leader.

PublisherISC2
ReportISC2 Research: Cybersecurity Professionals Want Leaders Who Have Been Through a Major Incident
Published28 May 2026
TopicsLeadership Experience, Hiring Preferences

Published by ISC2 in ISC2 Research: Cybersecurity Professionals Want Leaders Who Have Been Through a Major Incident , 28 May 2026. The figure is taken from the report as published; the full methodology is in the source.

View the original report

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41% of people working in cybersecurity roles somewhat agree that previous leadership experience during a high-profile cybersecurity incident bolsters a leader's credibility.
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11% of people working in cybersecurity roles prefer hands-on technical incident experience over strategic and executive leadership experience in a cybersecurity leader.
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People working in cybersecurity roles disagreethat previous leadership experience during a high-profile cybersecurity incident bolsters a leader's credibility total 9%.
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76% of people working in cybersecurity roles agree that previous leadership experience during a high-profile cybersecurity incident bolsters a leader's credibility (41% somewhat agree + 35% strongly agree).
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35% of people working in cybersecurity roles strongly agree that previous leadership experience during a high-profile cybersecurity incident bolsters a leader's credibility.
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