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Executive Security Leadership

Your organization deserves
a world-class CISO.
On your terms.

The CISO role is no longer optional — regulatory mandates, board expectations, and evolving threats have made executive security leadership essential for every organization. Trustmarq's CxO Advisory delivers battle-tested CISO, BISO, and ISO expertise on a fractional or full-time basis — exactly when and how you need it.

Schedule a Confidential Briefing → Explore Delivery Models
🏛️ Former Federal CISOs 🏥 Healthcare Security Leaders 💳 Financial Services Experts ⚡ Energy & OT Specialists ✅ Board-Certified Advisors
15+
Years delivering executive
security leadership
400+
Engagements across
regulated industries
12
Frameworks mastered
(NIST, HIPAA, PCI, FedRAMP…)
100%
US-based advisors with
active security clearances
The Challenge

Is your organization ready for
what's coming next?

Legislative mandates, SEC disclosure rules, and escalating threat actors have fundamentally changed what boards expect from security leadership. Most organizations face one of these three realities:

🔄
CISO Transition
Your CISO departed unexpectedly or a planned transition left a gap. Security programs don't pause — Trustmarq deploys a seasoned advisor within days to maintain continuity and accelerate the search for your next permanent leader.
🚀
No CISO Yet
Your organization has grown to a scale that demands security executive leadership but hasn't yet built the role. We help you establish the program, develop the charter, and make the business case — before or instead of a full-time hire.
📋
Regulatory Pressure
SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules, HIPAA enforcement actions, and CMMC 2.0 are making CISO-level accountability a legal and board-level imperative. Our advisors are fluent in the regulatory language your auditors and attorneys speak.
🎯
Fractional Fit
You need senior CISO judgment without the full-time cost. Our fractional model provides 2–3 days per week of dedicated executive presence — attending board meetings, leading incident response, and driving strategic roadmaps.
📈
Security Maturity Uplift
A new permanent CISO has landed but needs immediate support — experienced practitioners who can advise on architecture decisions, vendor selection, and technology strategy while the new leader settles in.
🤝
M&A Security Support
Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures create security leadership voids at critical moments. Our advisors embed with your deal team to manage security diligence, risk disclosure, and post-close integration planning.
Delivery Model

Flexible engagement models
built for real organizations

Whether you need three days a month or full-time embedded leadership, we structure an engagement that matches your operational reality — not a packaged product.

Most Popular
Fractional CISO
Ongoing, part-time executive security leadership — 2 to 3 days per week. Full CISO accountability at a fraction of a full-time cost, ideal for mid-market organizations.
  • Board and executive committee reporting
  • Security program strategy and roadmapping
  • Vendor and technology evaluation
  • Regulatory engagement and audit support
  • Incident response leadership
  • Team mentorship and hiring support
Immediate Deployment
Interim CISO
Full-time, embedded CISO leadership for defined periods — typically 6 to 18 months. Ideal for CISO departures, post-breach recovery, or pre-IPO security build-out.
  • Seamless same-week deployment
  • Full organizational accountability
  • Security team management and rebuilding
  • Permanent CISO transition support
  • Crisis and breach response leadership
  • Executive search advisory alongside engagement
Specialized Roles
BISO / ISO Advisory
Business Information Security Officer or Information Security Officer support for business units, subsidiaries, or divisions requiring dedicated but not full-CISO security leadership.
  • Business unit security liaison
  • Product security oversight
  • Third-party and vendor risk management
  • Compliance program ownership
  • Policy and standards development
  • Security awareness program leadership
What's Included

End-to-end security
executive coverage

Our advisors don't just attend meetings — they take accountability. Here is what a Trustmarq CxO Advisory engagement delivers:

01
Board & Executive Reporting
Monthly and quarterly board-ready security briefings, risk appetite discussions, and executive dashboards that translate technical risk into language directors and C-suite leaders act on.
02
Security Roadmap Development
Multi-year strategic security roadmaps aligned to business objectives, regulatory requirements, and technology lifecycle — complete with investment prioritization and measurable milestones.
03
Incident Response Planning & Leadership
Development and tabletop testing of your incident response plan, with the guarantee that your Trustmarq advisor is at the table — not on a helpdesk — when a real incident occurs.
04
Regulatory & Audit Readiness
Direct engagement with regulators, auditors, and legal counsel on HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SEC, CMMC, FedRAMP, SOC 2, and other frameworks — including audit interview preparation and evidence coordination.
05
Vendor & Technology Governance
Oversight of security vendor relationships, technology selection processes, and contract security requirements — so your investments align with risk priorities rather than vendor pressure.
06
Program Metrics & Maturity
Establishment of security KPIs, KRIs, and maturity models (CMMI, NIST CSF, CIS Controls) so you can demonstrate program progress to boards, insurers, and regulators with confidence.
07
Security Culture & Awareness
Executive-sponsored security awareness and culture programs that change behavior at every level — from the mailroom to the boardroom — including phishing simulations and leadership training.
08
Security Architecture Review
Strategic guidance on zero trust architecture, cloud security posture, identity program maturity, and third-party risk — informed by our deep bench of architect-level consultants across all major platforms.
Our Advisors

The team behind the advisory

Our CxO Advisory bench comprises former enterprise CISOs, government security executives, and industry-leading practitioners — not consultants who have never held the role.

🏛️
Former Federal Leaders
Advisors with direct experience at DHS, DoD, and civilian agencies — cleared, battle-tested, and fluent in federal risk frameworks.
🏥
Healthcare CISOs
Former health system and payer CISOs who have led clinical IAM, HIPAA programs, ransomware responses, and EHR security at scale.
💳
Financial Services Expertise
Deep experience at major banks, insurers, and fintech companies — with hands-on FDIC, OCC, PCI-DSS, and SEC cybersecurity disclosure experience.
🎓
Industry Certifications
CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CDPSE, and CCSP-certified advisors. Many hold advanced degrees in information security, computer science, and business administration.
Collective Intelligence Advantage
Unlike a sole fractional CISO, your Trustmarq advisor draws on the collective lessons-learned of our entire advisory bench — spanning dozens of simultaneous client engagements across industries. You don't just get one CISO's experience; you get the benefit of all of them.
15+
Active advisors
8
Industry verticals
50+
Combined years
Client Outcomes

Security leadership that
moves the needle

These outcomes reflect real engagements delivered through the Trustmarq CxO Advisory practice across regulated industries.

Healthcare · Interim CISO
Health System Recovers from Ransomware with Zero Regulatory Penalty
A regional health system with 12 hospitals suffered a major ransomware event that threatened patient care operations. Trustmarq deployed an interim CISO within 48 hours who led the incident response, managed OCR notification, and rebuilt the security program from the ground up — achieving full regulatory compliance and no penalty under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.
48hrs
Deployment
$0
OCR Penalty
14mo
Engagement length
HIPAAIncident ResponseInterim CISO
Telecom · Fractional CISO
National Telecom Achieves First SOC 2 Type II Certification in 10 Months
A national telecommunications provider had never achieved formal security certification despite years of effort. The Trustmarq fractional CISO restructured the security team, aligned internal processes to SOC 2 controls, and successfully guided the organization through its first Type II audit — unlocking enterprise contract opportunities worth tens of millions.
10mo
To certification
1st
SOC 2 Type II ever
SOC 2 Type IIFractional CISOTelecom
Energy · Advisory CISO
Utility Achieves NERC CIP Compliance Across 3 Interconnected Facilities
A regional electric utility faced NERC CIP enforcement risk across three generation facilities with separate IT and OT environments. Trustmarq's advisory CISO unified the compliance program, resolved 37 open findings, and presented the company's first board-level cybersecurity report — enabling the CEO to report full compliance at the annual NERC audit.
37
Findings resolved
3
Facilities aligned
NERC CIPOT/ICSAdvisory CISO
Financial Services · Fractional CISO
Mid-Market Bank Passes OCC Exam with Zero Material Findings
A $4B community bank had received material findings in back-to-back OCC safety & soundness exams. Trustmarq's fractional CISO rebuilt the information security program over 18 months — addressing governance gaps, deploying a GRC platform, and preparing the security team for examination. The bank's next OCC exam produced zero material findings.
0
OCC findings
18mo
Program rebuild
OCCGLBAGRCFractional CISO
Regulatory Coverage

The frameworks your board
needs you to speak

Our advisors navigate every major regulatory framework with firsthand experience — not theoretical knowledge.

HIPAA / HITECH SEC Cybersecurity Rules NIST CSF 2.0 NIST 800-53 SOC 2 Type I & II ISO 27001 PCI-DSS v4.0 FedRAMP CMMC 2.0 GLBA NERC CIP GDPR NY DFS 500 FISMA CCPA HITRUST CIS Controls v8 Zero Trust (CISA TRA)
Common Questions

What executives ask us

How quickly can a Trustmarq advisor be deployed?
For interim CISO engagements, we typically deploy within 48–72 business hours. Fractional engagements can begin within one to two weeks after scope and contract finalization. We maintain a ready bench of advisors specifically for urgent situations.
How is a fractional CISO different from a security consultant?
A fractional CISO takes organizational accountability — they attend your board meetings, own your security program's outcomes, and operate as a named executive. A security consultant delivers a project and moves on. Our advisors embed in your organization, learn your culture, and are accountable for results — not just deliverables.
What industries do your advisors specialize in?
Our advisory bench includes specialists across healthcare and life sciences, financial services (banking, insurance, fintech), federal and state government, energy and utilities, telecommunications, technology and SaaS, and defense/aerospace. We match each client with an advisor who has direct industry experience — not a generalist.
Can the engagement transition to a permanent hire?
Absolutely — and we encourage it when it's right for your organization. Many of our interim engagements include active support for the permanent CISO search process, and we often serve as an internal reference for candidates. A permanent hire does not terminate the relationship; many clients retain us in an advisory or overflow capacity afterward.
How do you handle confidentiality and conflicts of interest?
Every engagement is governed by a strict confidentiality agreement. We maintain a formal conflict-of-interest policy and will disclose any potential conflicts before engagement begins. Our advisors are prohibited from serving direct competitors in the same industry without explicit client consent.
What does a typical monthly engagement look like?
A typical fractional CISO engagement includes a monthly board or executive committee security briefing, weekly one-on-one with the CEO and/or relevant C-suite leaders, oversight of your internal security team (if you have one), regulatory and audit support as needed, and participation in security incident response on demand. We can add or reduce scope as your needs evolve.

Ready to close your security
leadership gap?

Schedule a confidential 30-minute briefing with a senior advisor to discuss your situation and determine the right engagement model.

Schedule a Confidential Briefing → Send Us a Message