A single cyber incident can destroy years of value — a fractional CISO ensures your board is governing cyber risk, not ignoring it.
Cyber security is the most consistently under-governed risk in UK SMEs. Boards know it matters, the IT team has some controls in place, and the business has a cyber insurance policy that has never been tested. But the cyber risk has never been formally quantified, the incident response plan has never been rehearsed, and no one at board level is accountable for the security posture of the organisation.That gap is precisely what adversaries — criminal, competitive, and state-level — exploit. The average cost of a cyber breach for a UK SME is now over £19,000, and the reputational consequences frequently exceed the direct financial loss. For businesses handling sensitive client data, operating in regulated sectors, or processing significant customer transaction volumes, the risk is even more acute.A fractional CISO from Leadership Services provides board-level accountability for cyber security — not as a technical specialist who manages firewalls, but as a senior leader who translates cyber risk into commercial language, builds the governance framework the board needs to manage it responsibly, and owns the security posture of the business with full executive accountability.
The first 90 days establish board-level cyber governance, quantify the current risk exposure, and implement the most critical controls — turning cyber security from a hoped-for outcome into a governed, accountable discipline.
Cyber risk assessment: structured evaluation of the current security posture, control gaps, compliance obligations, and the specific threat vectors most relevant to your sector and business model. Board-level cyber risk briefing delivered — translating technical risk into commercial and legal exposure terms the full board can act on.
Priority controls implemented: the highest-risk gaps addressed with specific technical and process controls, incident response plan developed and tested, and staff awareness programme initiated. Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001 compliance pathway established where required by customer or regulatory obligations.
Cyber governance framework operational: board-level cyber KPIs live, regular security reporting embedded into board governance, and the CISO accountable for the ongoing security posture of the business. Cyber risk is now a known, governed quantity — not an unknown, unmanaged liability.
Within 90 days, your board will have a quantified view of cyber risk, a functioning incident response capability, and a fractional CISO who is accountable for the security posture of the business.
A pragmatic, risk-based cybersecurity strategy aligned to your business context, regulatory obligations, and evolving threat landscape. Covers the security controls, investments, and capabilities required to protect the business — prioritised by actual commercial risk rather than technical completeness or vendor preference.
A structured assessment of your current security posture against best-practice frameworks — including Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, and NIST CSF. Identifies critical gaps, quantifies risk in business terms, and produces a prioritised remediation roadmap the board can understand, own, and act upon.
Establishment and ongoing management of security governance: policies, standards, audit schedules, and board-level reporting. Ensures your business meets its compliance obligations — GDPR, sector regulations, and customer contractual requirements — with clear accountability and appropriate documentation maintained at all times.
Development of incident response playbooks, facilitation of tabletop exercises, and coordination of external vendor relationships. Ensures the business is genuinely prepared to respond to a cyber incident quickly and effectively — protecting operations, data, and reputation when a security event occurs.
Senior oversight of identity and access management — MFA rollout, least-privilege access frameworks, privileged access governance, and full identity lifecycle management. Addresses one of the most frequently exploited attack vectors facing UK SMEs in a structured, proportionate, and commercially sensible manner.
Assessment and management of security risk across your supplier and technology vendor relationships. Includes security questionnaire frameworks, third-party risk assessments, and contractual security requirements — protecting your business from the increasingly common threat of cyber incidents originating through your supply chain.
Leadership Services
per month — no recruitment fees, no long-term contracts
Full-Time Hire
per year plus benefits, recruitment fees, and on-costs
A fractional CISO provides board-level cybersecurity leadership on a part-time basis. They own the security strategy, cyber risk posture, compliance programme, and incident response capability for your business. Unlike a technical security engineer, a fractional CISO operates at the strategic level — translating cyber threats into business risk, managing security vendors, presenting to the board, and making the governance decisions that protect the organisation from financial, reputational, and regulatory harm.
A fractional CISO from Leadership Services ranges from £1,500 to £5,000 per month, depending on scope and the number of days required. This compares to a full-time CISO salary of £130,000 to £200,000 per year in the UK, plus employer on-costs, benefits, and recruitment fees. For most UK SMEs and mid-market businesses, the fractional model provides the board-level security leadership they need to manage cyber risk effectively at a fraction of the permanent hire cost.
These are complementary, not interchangeable. A managed security service provider (MSSP) delivers technical security tools and monitoring. A CISO provides the strategic leadership, governance, and commercial judgement to direct those services effectively. Without a CISO, many businesses spend on security technology without a coherent strategy, overpay for the wrong services, and lack the board-level accountability to manage security risk properly. A fractional CISO ensures your security investment is directed intelligently.
Yes. Supporting certification programmes — including Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 — is a common engagement type for Leadership Services’ fractional CISOs. They own the certification programme end-to-end: gap assessment, remediation planning, policy development, audit preparation, and coordination with certification bodies. Many clients achieve Cyber Essentials within three months and ISO 27001 within twelve months of engaging a fractional CISO.
Most engagements begin within one to two weeks of an initial consultation. There is no lengthy recruitment process, no notice period, and no extended onboarding. Leadership Services matches you with a fractional CISO whose sector experience and regulatory background are relevant to your business. They join your leadership team, conduct an initial security assessment, and begin building the risk and governance framework appropriate to your organisation’s size and risk profile.
Our fractional CISOs have experience across financial services, professional services, healthcare, technology, legal, manufacturing, and not-for-profit sectors. Many SMEs in regulated industries — financial services, healthcare, legal — face particularly acute security and compliance obligations. We match each engagement with a fractional CISO who understands your sector’s regulatory environment, threat landscape, and the security expectations of your enterprise customers and supply chain partners.
Book a free, no-obligation discovery call. We’ll match you with the right director within 5 business days.
