Why Underinvesting in Your CISO’s Leadership Team Is a Costly Mistake 

As organizations increasingly rely on data, automation, and digital infrastructure to compete, the CISO role has evolved into a strategic asset in the executive lineup. Yet when it comes to hiring the security function leaders and direct reports who support the CISO and translate their strategy into execution, those roles are often not prioritized the same way. A CISO’s effectiveness relies on the strength of their leadership team. When organizations overlook this dynamic, they unintentionally weaken the security program and diminish the value of the CISO they worked so hard to hire. 

Undermining the CISO Investment 

After hiring a CISO, organizations tend to shift away from the strategic mindset that guided the executive search. Roles leading security functions such as Product Security, Security Operations, or Identity & Access Management are crucial to execution, yet they rarely receive the same urgency, rigor, or flexibility in hiring. Salary bands tighten, job titles are downgraded, and the hiring process may receive less scrutiny. Companies may even move ahead without confirming that candidates have the right working style or chemistry with the new CISO. These choices treat essential leadership roles as routine staffing decisions rather than foundational components of the security function. 

This approach can seem reasonable, especially when stakeholders are balancing competing budget priorities. Over time, however, it creates structural gaps that limit the CISO’s ability to execute and slow the organization’s progress against its security objectives. Leadership shortages increase operational friction, delay strategic initiatives, and elevate overall risk. In some cases, this dynamic can contribute to premature CISO turnover, forcing the organization to restart a costly and disruptive leadership search. 

The Cost of a Weak Leadership Bench 

Hiring the leaders who report directly to the CISO isn’t a routine staffing decision. These roles shape how effectively the organization can manage risk, release secure products quickly, respond to incidents, and build long-term resilience. When companies hire leaders who lack the experience or capability to oversee complex security environments, the consequences surface quickly. Gaps in judgment or technical depth can increase the likelihood of breaches, delay product launches, slow incident response, and create vulnerabilities in compliance or governance. What appears to be cost savings at the outset often results in a higher and more persistent risk profile. 

The impact extends beyond operational issues. A weak leadership bench places additional pressure on the CISO, who must then step into day-to-day execution rather than focusing on strategy, stakeholder alignment, and long-term planning. Over time, this dynamic can erode confidence and momentum.  

The ROI of Investing Properly 

Many stakeholders assume that hiring a strong CISO is enough to elevate the security program. In practice, a CISO’s impact depends heavily on having experienced leaders in Director and Vice President roles who can manage key domains, drive execution, and keep the program moving at the pace the business requires. Treating these hires as part of the same investment, rather than separate or secondary decisions, gives the CISO the capacity to deliver on the mandate they were hired to fulfill. 

The financial return on this approach becomes clear when compared with the cost of underfunding these roles. Competitive compensation for seasoned security leaders may feel difficult to justify, especially when budgets are tight, but the alternative is often far more expensive. Strong deputies reduce the likelihood and impact of breaches, strengthen compliance, and improve day-to-day decision making. They also support CISO retention by creating an environment where strategy can advance instead of stalling. Replacing a CISO commonly costs well into six figures, and the total disruption to momentum can exceed seven figures when accounting for search, onboarding, and the time needed to regain traction. 

Organizations that invest early at market rates in these leadership roles see faster program maturity, clearer ownership of risk, and stronger alignment between security and the broader business. The CISO’s team must gain credibility and trust across the business, particularly with product and engineering leaders, to ensure a positive security culture and adoption rate. Simply put, building the right leadership bench protects the investment already made in the CISO and amplifies the value of every dollar spent on cybersecurity. 

A great CISO is well worth the investment, but that investment is only fully realized when supported by an equally capable leadership team. Organizations that underinvest in Director and VP roles not only weaken their security posture but also set their CISO up to fail. The cost of replacing them far exceeds whatever was saved by hiring underqualified deputies.