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Board Leadership

Guardians of resilience

Risk is not just a technical issue, it's a test of strategic leadership. As a board member, you safeguard trust, reputation and long-term value – ensuring resilience across cyber security, supply chains, liquidity, and regulation. We help you cut through complexity, linking governance to performance through clear accountability, informed challenge, and forward-looking decisions that turn resilience into a hallmark of effective leadership.

Explore the priorities shaping boardroom resilience below:

Cyber

Supply chain

Regulatory

Working Capital

Cyber When trust becomes the target

The real test of governance is not whether the board understands the technical details of a cyber attack – it’s whether it can lead the organisation through one, without losing focus on strategy, trust and long-term value.

It’s a strategic challenge and a test of leadership.

Today, you’re accountable for ensuring that your organisation can withstand and recover from cyber incidents that threaten strategy, reputation, stakeholder confidence and long-term growth.

Cyber resilience is now viewed by investors, regulators and partners as a core indicator of governance quality and operational resilience. We’ll help you move beyond point-in-time defences to embed cyber resilience into enterprise risk, strategy, culture and decision-making. That shift is critical because:

Cyber is a board-level risk

Digital operations, supply chains, investor and customer trust all depend on it.

Resilience is a competitive differentiator

Organisations that respond and recover well are seen as lower risk, better governed and attract more investment.

Regulators expect it

The UK Government’s Cyber Governance Code of Practice (April 2025) and similar frameworks make clear that ultimate accountability sits with the board.

Reputation and trust are on the line

Stakeholders judge boards on how they lead before, during and after a crisis.

Why it matters

Boards have a duty of care under the Companies Act to promote the long-term success of their businesses. In a digital economy, that requires active governance of cyber risk with cyber treated equally, alongside financial, legal and operational risks. You must ensure that your organisation’s risk appetite is explicit, that your investment decisions reflect it and that you can provide evidence of preparedness.

Pressures and priorities

  • What is our cyber risk appetite, and how is it linked to strategy and investment priorities?
  • Do we have tested incident response and crisis communication plans, and is the board clear on its role in a crisis?
  • Are we confident that management’s reporting is accurate, relevant and timely, and do we have metrics that matter?
  • Are we investing enough, in the right areas (people, process, technology) to match our risk profile?
  • Do we understand and manage third and fourth-party risks effectively?
  • Do we have access to independent cyber expertise at the board table or through advisors?
  • Are we treating cyber as a strategic business risk rather than a compliance item?

Cyber resilience goes beyond defence — it drives continuity, builds trust and enables strategic transformation. Handled well, it allows you to take advantage of digital advancements that enable transformation including cloud, AI and new business models with confidence.

Boards that treat cyber as an enterprise-wide strategic capability typically outperform peers in recovery time, stakeholder trust and even valuation following an incident.

Leadership in the know

Cyber is treated as a strategic business risk. It’s integrated into board agendas, risk appetite discussions and major investment or transformation decisions. You can articulate how cyber resilience underpins the organisation’s long-term growth and trust.

Risk-based posture

The board demands a live, business-aligned cyber risk register that links threats directly to strategic objectives and value drivers. Resources are focused on the most material risks, not on scatter-gun spending.

Proportionate investment

Capital and attention go first to the foundational controls; technology controls, identity and access management, vulnerability management, supply-chain security, user awareness and tested incident-response. Investments are prioritised by the potential impact on delivery of strategy and customer trust.

Culture and capability

There’s visible board sponsorship of a cyber security-aware culture. Roles and accountabilities are clear from the board downwards; management has the skills and resources to deliver; employees know how to spot and escalate anomalies.

Resilience and continuity

Plans for responding to ransomware, supply-chain disruption and other high-impact events are tested in realistic simulations. Playbooks include how to engage with regulators, shareholders, customers and the media.

Continuous testing and assurance

The board insists on regular, independent testing, including cyber control effectiveness, penetration tests, red-teaming and tabletop crisis exercises. Progress is tracked through decision-useful metrics, not technical detail.

Streamlined, modern defences

Cyber security architecture moves steadily toward a zero-trust, automated and less complex environment, reducing attack surface and making defences more sustainable and cost-effective.

Resilient ecosystem

The organisation understands and manages its critical third-party and fourth-party dependencies, from cloud providers to outsourced business processes. Oversight and assurance on these is reported to the board.

External insight and foresight

The board makes regular use of independent assurance, threat intelligence and peer benchmarking to stay ahead of a fast-changing landscape and to guide governance and investment choices.

From safe enough to truly secure

Cyber policy and incident readiness financial services – trustee board (pensions)

“Our role was to turn governance intent into practical readiness. By combining industry insight with clear design and testing, we helped the trustee board build the confidence, clarity and control they need to lead effectively when it matters most.” Sheila Pancholi, Consulting Partner

Explore our success story

We help you to lead with confidence:

  • Align cyber risk appetite with enterprise strategy and communicate it to investors, regulators and your workforce.
  • Build board-level understanding of the threat landscape and what it means for your business model.
  • Simulate cyber incidents to test decision-making, crisis communication and investor relations, under pressure.
  • Provide decision-useful reporting and metrics that go beyond compliance to show how resilience supports growth and trust.
  • Benchmark your cyber resilience maturity against peers and sector expectations.

The stakes for boards have never been higher. Cyber resilience is no longer just about preventing breaches; it’s about preserving your organisation’s ability to deliver on its purpose and strategy in the face of disruption. Boards that treat cyber as a strategic leadership issue will not only meet regulatory expectations but will also command greater stakeholder trust and unlock competitive advantage.

Take the next step. Talk to our experienced cyber experts who have developed experience over hundreds of engagements and who have done this at scale, to explore how strategic alignment and empowered teams can help your organisation stay ahead of evolving threats.

Sheila Pancholi Consulting Partner – Technology Risk Assurance

Contact Sheila

Risk and Governance