EC-Council Report Highlights Growing Role Of AI In Cybersecurity Leadership
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- EC-Council, a cybersecurity education provider, has released its flagship Certified CISO Hall of Fame 2025 Report, highlighting the transformation of cybersecurity leadership as artificial intelligence (AI), regulatory pressure and enterprise risk redefine boardroom priorities worldwide.
The report recognises 50 cybersecurity executives from some of the world’s most influential organisations, reinforcing the growing influence of EC-Council’s Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) programme in shaping the next generation of enterprise cybersecurity leadership.
Built from insights gathered from 346 Certified CISOs across more than 87 countries, the report is among the industry’s most comprehensive studies focused exclusively on executive cybersecurity roles.
The findings show organisations are increasingly expecting CISOs to move beyond technical oversight into enterprise-wide business leadership, governance, resilience strategy, financial accountability and board-level engagement.
According to the report, three in four respondents identified AI threat response capability as the most essential executive cybersecurity trait through 2028, while 80 per cent confirmed their organisations are already integrating or transitioning toward AI-powered cybersecurity operations.
The findings reflect a broader industry shift from reactive security management toward predictive, intelligence-driven enterprise defence models, according to EC-Council in a statement.
The report also found that 100 per cent of respondents recommend CCISO as part of the executive pathway for future cybersecurity leaders, while 98 per cent reported stronger confidence in business-driven cybersecurity decision-making after earning the credential.
In addition, 97 per cent stated the programme improved their ability to communicate with boards and executive leadership teams, while nearly nine in 10 professionals credited CCISO with helping them transition from technical roles into executive leadership positions.
As cyber resilience increasingly becomes a board-level business mandate, the report positions CCISO as one of the industry’s leading executive cybersecurity leadership credentials designed to bridge the widening gap between technical expertise and enterprise leadership capability.
CCISO is designed specifically for senior cybersecurity professionals, emphasising governance, enterprise risk management, security strategy, financial oversight, and compliance to enable leaders to operate effectively in modern enterprise environments.
-- BERNAMA