Reshaping the technology dialogue in the boardroom

Technology and cyber leaders often have limited exposure to boardroom dynamics, yet they’re expected to deliver board papers that land well with board directors. If your board pack dives into minutiae, misses the strategic context or is not clear on risk trade-offs, your technology executives haven’t yet learned how to frame technology in the language of governance. The consequence is that cyber oversight may suffer from blind spots and gaps in strategic direction.

Some of these gaps can be closed by improving cyber literacy in the boardroom: Directors should keep sharpening their understanding of cyber, AI and emerging technologies. But adding to the knowledge of board directors alone won’t fix the last-mile challenges of implementation. Effective cyber oversight depends on trusted collaboration: technology executives who feel able to surface concerns, frame options and ask for support — and a board that invites that dialogue, early and often.

Cyber governance becomes effective when the board and the executive team interact with mutual confidence. With the board’s support, technology executives gain the confidence to guide the conversation and bring the wider leadership team into it[1]. This turns cyber governance into a shared responsibility rather than a siloed task. Effective oversight requires a strong, interdisciplinary team — spanning technology, legal, risk, and compliance — working closely with the board[2]. The strength of this interdisciplinary collaboration not only reinforces confidence on all sides, but it can transform cyber governance into a business advantage.

Boards that want to increase their technology leader’s confidence and champion cross-functional collaboration can take these five practical steps to enhance cyber oversight.

1)    Be proactive: Set expectations early. Make clear that the board is accountable for cyber risk oversight and that you want management’s reporting to be coordinated. Share your priority questions in advance and, where appropriate, meet the executive team informally before the meeting.

2)    Develop a shared language: Jargon is often a habit, a display of expertise or a shield for insecurity in the boardroom. Ask management to map board updates to a consistent framework (for example the UK Cyber Governance Code of Practice[3]) and minimise jargon.

3)    Offer board support: Cyber governance cuts across functions. Encourage joint papers from technology, compliance, risk and legal — and let the best-placed executive lead the conversation in the boardroom.

4)    Build trust through realism: Don’t ask for certainty where none exists. Reward transparency about residual risk, trade-offs and limitations. By normalising openness, you encourage candid reporting instead of reassurance that conceals risk exposure.

5)    Ask for insights, not just indicators: Request a concise set of top risks with business impacts, timeframes and recommendations. Move beyond raw metrics to decision-ready information.

By clarifying what good looks like, encouraging cross-functional collaboration, and backing executives when they raise difficult issues, boards can materially improve the quality of cyber governance. The result: better-timed decisions and a path to improved cyber resilience that is more closely aligned with the organisation’s strategy.

[1] Computer Weekly, Cyber governance practices are maturing – and reshaping leadership expectation, 2025, https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366628180/Cyber-governance-practices-are-maturing-and-reshaping-leadership-expectations

[2] Diligent, The Cyber Leadership Playbook, 2025, https://www.diligent.com/resources/guides/cyber-leadership-playbook

[3] UK Government, Cyber Governance Code of Practice, 2025, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-governance-code-of-practice/cyber-governance-code-of-practice