Forsyth Barnes
Interim Chief Information Security Officer
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Job Title - Interim CISO (Ref: 197475)
Location - South East England
Working Pattern - Hybrid 1/2 days per week
Contract role
Contact - Reuben.Hillier@forsythbarnes.com
The Opportunity
A highly successful UK & Ireland consumer business is seeking an experienced Interim Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to provide senior leadership and drive the next phase of its cyber security maturity journey.
This is a Board-facing interim leadership position within a highly digital organisation where cyber security, operational resilience and customer trust are critical business priorities. The successful individual will provide immediate senior oversight of the established security function, maintaining strong foundations already in place whilst continuing to drive improvements across the organisation.
The role requires a leader who can combine strong cyber security expertise with exceptional communication, stakeholder engagement and organisational influence. Success will be measured as much by the ability to build confidence with the Executive Team and Board as by technical security outcomes.
Key Objectives
- Provide immediate senior leadership across the organisation's cyber security function.
- Continue progressing the organisation's cyber security maturity and transformation journey.
- Act as a trusted cyber security advisor to the Executive Team, Audit Committee and Board.
- Increase organisational confidence in the cyber security programme and risk position.
- Strengthen security culture and awareness across the wider business.
- Drive effective cyber risk management and governance.
- Improve third-party, supplier and operational technology security oversight.
- Ensure cyber security remains aligned to digital growth, innovation and business objectives.
- Provide leadership around AI governance, emerging technologies and evolving regulatory requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the principal cyber security advisor to Executive Leadership, Audit Committee and Board stakeholders.
- Present cyber risk, resilience and security maturity updates in clear, commercial language.
- Support strategic decision-making around cyber investment, risk management and organisational resilience.
- Build trusted relationships with senior leaders and influence decision-making across the organisation.
- Provide clear leadership and direction during periods of heightened cyber risk or major incidents.
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Cyber Security Strategy & Transformation
- Provide senior ownership of the enterprise-wide cyber security strategy and roadmap.
- Continue progressing security maturity through measurable improvements and capability development.
- Identify and implement new security controls and capabilities where appropriate.
- Ensure security priorities remain aligned to broader business strategy.
- Assess existing security initiatives and ensure key priorities continue to progress effectively during the interim period.
Governance, Risk & Compliance
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Oversee cyber governance, risk and compliance activities, maintaining frameworks aligned to:
- ISO27001
- PCI DSS
- GDPR
- NIS2
- Cyber Essentials
- Emerging AI governance requirements
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Ensure risks are appropriately identified, communicated and managed, with clear visibility at Executive and Board level.
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Provide executive oversight of security operations and incident response.
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Lead cyber crisis management and major incident decision-making where required.
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Strengthen organisational resilience, business continuity and recovery capabilities.
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Support the ongoing development of threat management and vulnerability management programmes.
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Provide appropriate oversight of the organisation's cyber risk and operational resilience position.
Third-Party & Supply Chain Security
- Drive third-party and supplier assurance programmes.
- Improve visibility and management of supply chain cyber risk.
- Support security governance across operational and distributed environments.
- Ensure appropriate oversight of operational technology and business-critical services.
Security Culture & Business Engagement
- Embed security awareness and accountability throughout the organisation.
- Build strong relationships across Technology, Operations, Procurement, Legal, Data and Commercial functions.
- Position security as a business enabler rather than simply a compliance requirement.
- Drive engagement and influence beyond the direct security team.
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Essential Experience
- Current or previous CISO, Group CISO, Chief Security Officer or equivalent senior security leadership experience.
- Proven experience presenting to Boards, Audit Committees and Executive Leadership teams.
- Demonstrated success leading cyber security transformation and maturity improvement programmes.
- Strong cyber governance, risk and compliance expertise.
- Experience operating within complex, customer-facing or digitally enabled organisations.
- Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
- Comfortable stepping into an organisation quickly and providing immediate senior-level leadership and direction.
Highly Desirable
- Experience within retail, eCommerce, consumer, marketplace, travel, technology, food delivery or other digitally enabled businesses.
- PLC or listed company experience.
- Experience supporting organisations where digital platforms and customer trust are critical to revenue generation.
- Operational technology, supply chain or logistics security exposure.
- AI governance and emerging technology experience.
- Previous experience operating successfully in interim or transformation-focused CISO positions.
The successful Interim CISO will:
- Quickly establish credibility and become a trusted advisor to the Executive Team and Board.
- Maintain stability and continuity across the security function.
- Continue progressing the cyber security maturity journey.
- Improve organisational engagement with security.
- Strengthen resilience, governance and risk management.
- Enhance supplier and third-party security oversight.
- Provide clear visibility and confidence around the organisation's cyber security position.
- Ensure cyber security continues to effectively support business growth, innovation and long-term objectives.
This is an opportunity for an experienced Interim CISO to step into a highly visible leadership position within a successful, digitally enabled consumer organisation. The role offers genuine Board-level exposure and influence, with the opportunity to make an immediate impact across cyber security strategy, resilience, risk, governance and organisational maturity.
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