CISO Executive Search

Find your Chief Information Security Officer with a startup and tech-focused CISO executive search firm.

We’re your strategic allies from day one, embodying your company’s ethos, championing your culture to candidates, and removing anxiety from a stress-ridden process.

Let us guide you to source, hire and onboard your ideal CISO, worry free.

CISO executive search: Why it’s crucial to get it right

Cyber attacks, data leaks, compliance breaches. Without the right security in place, such risks threaten to destroy your business’s reputation every day. For high-growth tech startups, finding the right leader to oversee your organisation’s cyber security is critical.

You may need a CISO to create a security programme from scratch. If you’re scaling across borders, you might require a CISO to reinvent a security plan based on increasing risk and requirements.

Yet finding the right CISO isn’t easy, especially when you’ve exhausted in-house options and known talent pools. Partnering with technology executive search specialists makes all the difference.

Why work with a CISO executive search firm?

As specialists in startup executive search with technology-sector expertise, we source and attract top senior talent, from CISO and CPO to Managing Director and Sales Director.

Rely on us to do the heavy lifting. We work as an extension of your HR team, enabling you to hire a CISO without worry.

We guide you every step of the way with our proven CISO executive search framework, from defining your CISO profile and creating a job description to negotiating salaries and onboarding your new cyber security leader.

Our 20+ years’ experience helps us identify leaders who possess qualities traditional cyber security recruitment firms may overlook, including:

Culturally fitting background. We source candidates with proven leadership in high-growth settings because we know the importance of agility and cultural fit for startups and scale-ups.
Outstanding communication skills. We look for self-motivated talent capable of translating complex topics into simple terms, promoting security throughout a company, and communicating on multiple levels.
Comparable business stage experience. We find technically qualified leaders who’ve successfully navigated similar growth stages and business expansion challenges so they can help you achieve cyber resiliency as you scale.

Europe’s new Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is reshaping how businesses approach cybersecurity.

With strict requirements and steep penalties, it’s no longer just about protecting data—it’s about securing every product, process, and system.

Is your team equipped to navigate this new landscape?

Finding the right talent who can bridge IT, OT, and compliance is the key to staying ahead.

How we helped Jobandtalent hire a CISO in 60 days

The Working-as-a-Service startup Jobandtalent needed a CISO when rapid global expansion increased their cyber security risks.

We understood Jobandtalent’s ideal CISO required more than certifications, industry expertise, and technical know-how.

Their unique CISO needed to be a hands-on self-driven leader, capable of promoting global security, instilling trust and communicating complex concepts simply, while creating a security programme from the ground up.

We sourced senior talent from companies similar to Jobandtalent’s growth stage, expansion and technical needs.

From our shortlist of seven candidates, two reached the final phases. Jobandtalent selected and hired one – all in just 60 days.

How we can help you find the right CISO

The urgency of a CISO executive search can be increasingly stressful because of the pivotal role they play in protecting your stakeholders, reputation and revenue.

Our expert approach sets us apart from other cyber security recruitment agencies. We help you solve challenges because we’ve already experienced them first hand and guide you through every step, from sourcing through onboarding, making the process anxiety free.

Here’s what the CISO executive search can look like with Nederlia by your side:

Pin down your priorities through talent mapping

Once we’ve discussed your data security goals and profile requirements, we map out candidate availability and share our insights.

We also advise you on ways to broaden your search so you can find the perfect CISO in less time.

Receive a tailored, strategic candidate shortlist

We look beyond industry experience to create a shortlist of fit CISO candidates.

This enables us to source potential hires who may have experience in different industries, but possess the combination of skills and attributes needed to meet your cyber security goals.

Sharpen your CISO specifications with expert insights

Our shortlist includes a variety of profiles to help you consider previously unexplored qualities.

Based on your feedback, we can help you refine your job description, highlight tangible facts about your firm, and avoid buzzwords to attract high-profile candidates.

Attract top candidates with salary benchmarking & bonus advice

We know the complexity of executive-level salary packages, which often include bonuses and stock options.

Count on us to benchmark the salary landscape, help you align your offer with candidate expectations and create enticing salary packages to attract top cyber security professionals.

Rest easy with consistent communication

Receive regular updates of newly available talent and candidate feedback, helping you polish your CISO executive profile and attract more targeted prospects.

Frequent touch points provide more transparency and enable us to help you troubleshoot quickly.

Count on end-to-end guidance and support

We embody your company’s culture and values to attract CISO candidates who can envision themselves with confidence in your team.

From salary negotiations to onboarding, we help guarantee a smooth transition that fosters engagement.

Start your CISO executive search today

At Nederlia, we’re more than cyber security recruiters.

We’re CISO executive search headhunters with a comprehensive strategy to source and engage top security candidates, while making the process fast and pressure free.

Let us help you find and hire a new CISO capable of safeguarding your customers and your company, no matter your industry or growth stage.

FAQs

What are the first steps of the executive search process?

Before starting the search, we make a point of understanding your company culture, growth stage and other contextual details. This allows us to advise you on what talent pools to target and identify what type of candidate would be a good fit. We also dive into the details of the role you’re looking to fill, from the skills and experience you require to the characteristics of your ideal hire. Then, we set expectations, discuss timelines and address any questions you may have.

How do you source candidates?

We have an international network of senior-level talent who work at startups in different funding stages, from early-stage to post-IPO. When we start working together, we analyse your unique situation and advise you on specific talent pools to target. Then, we discreetly headhunt candidates who have experience in your company’s growth stage or have been through the fundraising round you are about to tackle. We always look beyond skills that match the job description to find the characteristics, personality and culture fit you’re looking for. We make sure to tell a story so you understand why we think a candidate could be a good match for you.

How do you handle diversity and inclusion in your recruitment process?

We understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and can cater to your specific needs. For example, we helped one of our clients diversify their leadership team by headhunting female candidates for a CPO position. See our case studies for more.

Looking for your next MD? We provide a holistic approach to finding the perfect managing director for your startup or tech company. We are not a typical managing director recruitment agency – you can count on us to act as your strategic advisor from day one.

We help you simplify the director recruitment process and remove the usual stress that comes with executive searches. This way, you can attract and hire a managing director with the skills, mindset and experience you need to get next-level business results.

Start your managing director search today

Managing director recruitment: Why getting it right is so crucial

Hiring the right managing director for your company’s unique goals can mean the difference between accelerating or stalling your business growth. This is especially true for fast-moving startups, scale-ups and technology companies with no time or resources to waste.

Your managing director is a strategic figure you can’t afford to get wrong. They are the driving force behind your business operations and responsible for the performance of your company. What’s more, they play a crucial role in developing future leaders.

To complicate matters, the search for a managing director is unique to each company. You need to consider your company’s growth stage, market strategy, business model, industry and specific goals. You need to find a candidate who can steer your company in the direction it needs to go, fast.

With a scarce talent pool and high competition, the perfect managing director can seem elusive. But partnering with an executive search firm that knows how to identify the best managing director candidates in such a demanding landscape can help you easily navigate the otherwise arduous process of attracting and hiring your ideal MD.

Why work with an executive search firm?

We understand how crucial it is to get your managing director search right. With 20 years of experience in recruitment and executive search across Europe and the UK, we know how to guide tech startups and scale-ups through the headhunting process. We source, select and hire the best candidates to fill even the most challenging managing director roles.

We have tried-and-true processes and strategic advisors to help you identify your ideal MD, easing the pressure on your HR teams. Even when your talent pools run dry and candidates are hard to find, we help you look beyond the conventional requirements of a managing director and consider other criteria, including:

Leadership ability. We screen executive talent and uncover how they have helped companies grow by building and empowering effective teams, departments and future leaders. As experts in startup executive hiring, we’re adept at recognizing the mindset that resonates with your company culture.
Market knowledge vs technical know-how. Not all your ideal managing directors will come from your same industry. We can expand your search to include experienced leaders from different sectors with similar expertise they can apply to your business to fulfil your mission.
Specific business-goal experience. If you need to scale, we can make sure the candidates we source have relevant experience in growing revenue and launching in new countries. If you need to cut costs and pivot, we can shortlist leaders who have a proven track record in scaling back and turning around operations successfully.

How we helped a client fill two critical MD roles in record time

One of our technology executive search clients was looking for two managing directors. One had to expand their operation in Germany, their most important market. The other MD needed to reposition their business in Spain by scaling down operations, pivoting with a new value proposition and penetrating a new market.

Technically, our client was looking for two managing directors, but the roles differed greatly. Each required a distinct set of skills, attitude and experience to lead country-specific operations in separate paths. One required a history in startup culture and business growth, the other in realignment, restructuring and innovation.

We helped our client locate and hire the MDs needed, one in just three months, thanks to our understanding of the markets involved and the client’s business needs, along with effective salary negotiation to attract the suitable candidates.

With us, you’ll have the structure you need to hire the managing director who can move your business forward and achieve your goals.

Hire your next managing director

How we can help YOU hire the right managing director

20+ years of experience in recruitment and startup executive search have taught us that finding the right candidate is just one step of the process. There’s a lot more to a managing director search – and each step can be more stressful than the next.

Thanks to our experience going through similar processes with other companies, we can share first-hand insights with you that help take the worry out of executive search.

Whatever challenges you face, we’ve likely faced them before and know how to handle them. We will keep you informed at all times so you can rest easy knowing you are in good hands.

Leave all the complexities of your managing director search to us and trust us to guide you every step of the way.

Here’s what your next managing director hire can look like:

1. We provide talent mapping to help you pin down your priorities

Once we’ve discussed your business goals and profile requirements, we map out candidate availability and share insights we gather on the available talent pool. We also guide you to look further afield, such as considering candidates across borders or from different industries when it makes sense. This way, you can broaden your opportunities of finding the perfect managing director for your company.

2. We prepare a candidate shortlist

Next, we compile a shortlist of candidates we believe are a good fit. We look beyond the job title to understand the underlying competencies and strengths you’re seeking. This strategic approach enables us to identify and present candidates who may have different titles in their current roles but possess the exact blend of skills and attributes you need. This ensures that the candidates we present are not only qualified but also perfectly aligned with your organisation’s goals.

3. We help sharpen your job description

We make a point of including a variety of different profiles in our initial candidate shortlist because seeing a diverse list of candidates may lead you to discover requirements you hadn’t considered. For example, we may include candidates who have industry experience, have been through your company’s growth stage, have built departments from scratch, etc. Based on the shortlist and feedback session, we help you refine your managing director job description and include the characteristics that can bring you the exceptional strategic leaders your business deserves.

4. We give salary benchmarking advice so you can attract top candidates

Managing director salary packages are complex, often including bonuses, stock options and more. Count on us to guide you so your offer aligns with the market and candidate expectations. We can help you avoid making an easy-to-refuse proposal, risking you going back to square one. We benchmark the current salary landscape and guide you on creating competitive packages to attract and hire a motivated managing director.

5. We share regular insight so you can take your search to the next level

We give you regular updates of newly available talent and candidate feedback, which can help you polish your MD role to attract more motivated, targeted prospects. Talking to the best potential hires can even reveal business insights you haven’t previously considered, taking your strategy and MD search in new directions. These touch points also allow for greater transparency. We can help you identify and turn obstacles into learning opportunities, align internal teams, and troubleshoot more quickly throughout the headhunting process.

6. We help you hire your managing director

As your partner in managing director search, we act as your representative. We support your candidate along the way, ensuring greater confidence in the process and your employer brand. We promote your startup culture so candidates can get a better sense of how they can fit into your company. You and your chosen managing director can take advantage of our support with the onboarding process to ensure a successful, efficient start.

Start your managing director search today

Hire the perfect managing director for your firm

We go further than your average managing director or CEO recruitment agency. We help you identify the right executive search priorities from day one so you can hire the talent capable of meeting your business goals. We guide you every step of the way, from defining the job description to onboarding your new managing director.

Hire your next MD

CISO Executive Search