The corporate security landscape is evolving rapidly as Chief Security Officers respond to a complex mix of geopolitical risk, cyber threats, technological change, and increasing expectations from the C-Suite.

The 2025 Annual CSO Survey, produced by The Clarity Factory, provides one of the most comprehensive, data-driven views yet into how security leaders are prioritizing risk, talent, and investment in today’s volatile environment.

Emergent Risk International was pleased to sponsor and contribute to this research, alongside Ontic and ASIS International. While The Clarity Factory led the design and delivery of the survey, ERI provided subject-matter input informed by our work supporting global security and intelligence leaders. Meredith Wilson (CEO, Emergent Risk International), joined Rachel Briggs (Clarity Factory) Manish Mehta (Ontic), and Jules Parke-Robinson (Philip Morris International) to discuss findings from The Clarity Factory’s Annual CSO Survey 2025 and trends to watch for 2026.

The 2025 CSO Survey is produced by The Clarity Factory and is sponsored by, and includes contributions from, Emergent Risk International, Ontic, and ASIS International. The webinar took place on November 12, 2025.

Key trends shaping the CSO agenda

The survey findings highlight several notable trends:

Executive Protection investment is rising
More than half of CSOs report increased executive protection budgets over the past 12 months, reflecting heightened concern around personal risk, activism, and geopolitical instability.

AI adoption is accelerating – but unevenly
CSOs are increasingly using AI for intelligence gathering, threat assessment, and monitoring, while adoption remains significantly lower in areas such as travel risk management.

Geopolitical risk is now a core security concern
Alongside cyber and data security threats, geopolitical instability ranks among the top risks impacting organisations, reinforcing the growing demand for strategic intelligence at board level.

GSOCs are evolving into broader business assets
Many Global Security Operations Centres now support both security and non-security functions, underscoring their role in operational resilience and enterprise decision-making.

Talent priorities are shifting
Intelligence, insider threat, regional security roles, and executive protection are among the areas where CSOs expect to increase staffing in the year ahead

Why this matters
For CSOs and security leaders, these insights provide valuable peer benchmarking and a clearer understanding of how the role is changing—from operational risk management to strategic advisory support for senior leadership.

At ERI, we see these findings reflected in our day-to-day work with organizations seeking to strengthen intelligence capability, integrate geopolitical analysis into decision-making, and build future-ready security functions.

Access the full report
Explore the dataset, analysis, and recommendations. Read The Clarity Factory 2025 Annual CSO Survey report here: https://www.clarityfactory.com/annual-survey