Why CEOs Must Build a Stronger Bridge Between Cybersecurity and the Boardroom

Cybersecurity isn’t just a technical issue, it’s a business imperative. Yet despite the growing number of high-profile attacks, costly breaches, and rising boardroom scrutiny, a surprising 91% of CEOs still view cybersecurity as a purely technical function owned by IT (according to Accenture’s Cyber-Resilient CEO Report).

That mindset can be dangerous, not because it implies negligence, but because it reflects a communication gap between business leadership and cybersecurity teams.

As a CEO who openly describes himself as “non-technical,” and who leads a global email security company, I’ve come to understand how important it is to bridge this divide. Cyber resilience is not achieved in silos. It takes collaboration between technical and non-technical leaders and that starts with mutual understanding, education, and respect.

The Real Issue: Translation, Not Disinterest

Most CEOs aren’t ignoring cybersecurity. But the language of firewalls, SIEMs, patching cycles, and penetration testing isn’t exactly boardroom-friendly. It’s dense. It’s jargon-heavy. And often, it’s detached from the broader business context leaders need to make informed decisions.

Similarly, many CISOs and security teams find it challenging to translate risk into business terms. It’s one thing to describe a potential breach vector but it’s another to explain, in plain language, what a ransomware attack might cost a business in lost productivity, downtime, or brand reputation.

That disconnect leads to one of the most common and costly misunderstandings in enterprise risk management: assuming cybersecurity is someone else’s job.

Delegation Is Vital, But So Is Visibility

As a CEO, you can delegate financial strategy to your CFO, or tech strategy to your CTO. That’s how businesses move fast. But you also need to stay informed and aligned. Cybersecurity must be treated the same way.

Security can’t sit in a vacuum. CEOs, CIOs, and CISOs should be sitting together regularly to align on business priorities, risk exposure, and security investments. And that means:

• Inviting CISOs into the boardroom, not just for compliance updates, but for open, proactive discussion.
• Asking “what if” questions: What would a ransomware attack cost us in revenue? In trust? In recovery time?
• Normalising plain language: The technical detail matters — but the business impact matters more.
• Encouraging curiosity: As a CEO, never feel embarrassed to ask a basic question. There are no stupid questions when it comes to protecting your company.

A Strong CEO–CISO Partnership Sets the Tone

When the CEO takes cyber seriously, the rest of the organisation follows. That’s why shared accountability matters. Defending the company is not just IT’s job, it’s everyone’s job.

When non-technical and technical leaders understand each other’s priorities, and speak a common language, businesses can align security with strategy. Cyber risk becomes part of business planning and not just an IT checklist.

Done right, this partnership turns cybersecurity from a niche technical domain into a collaborative business imperative.

I’d love to hear from you:

• How do you ensure cybersecurity is visible at board level?
• Do you feel your executive team speaks the same “language” as your technical teams?
• What has helped you close the gap between strategy and security?

Share your thoughts or lessons in the comments, and let’s continue the conversation.