Path studies
How people get to the seat
CISO Spotlights has published 5 path studies, built from 38 profiles and 48 distinct sources. The newest, “Repeat CISOs and vendor-side paths lead October 2026's 12 profiled appointments”, was published 3 November 2026.
Studies of the routes into the top security job. Each one is built from the profiles on this site, and every claim links back to a profile or a source.
- 01
Path study: October 2026Repeat CISOs and vendor-side paths lead October 2026's 12 profiled appointmentsOctober 2026 path study: 10 of 12 profiled appointments were repeat CISOs and 8 had vendor-side backgrounds. Counts by path, sector and title, with sourced passages. - 02
Path study: September 2026Vendor-side and repeat CISO paths tie at 14 of 27 profiled in September 2026September 2026 path study: 27 profiled CISO appointments, with vendor-side and repeat-CISO paths each at 14, plus sector and title counts, from sourced profiles. - 03
Path study 03Builders in the chair: the engineers, researchers and product people who became CISOsEleven profiled CISOs came up through hands-on technical work: software and security engineering, malware research, breach analysis, product and infrastructure. - 04
Path study 01Deputy, then chief: how the number-two security job leads to the top seatTwelve of our profiles show two routes to the CISO title: promotion inside one organization, or a deputy post at one employer traded for the top job at another. - 05
Path study 02Service first: the twelve CISOs whose careers began in uniformTwelve of 51 profiled security chiefs served in the armed forces, three from each of four branches. What they did in service and how they crossed into civilian security.