Building Tomorrow's Cyber Security Leaders: Skills, Roles, & Strategy for 2025
In this month’s tech-focusedarticle, we spoke with members of the cyber security team, including David Manfield and Sam Finn, to delve into the emerging skills, hiring trends, and the future of cyber security, offeringtheir insights into how businesses are preparing for the challenges of 2025 and beyond.
Emerging Skills and Roles in cyber security
As cyber threats become more advanced, the demand for cyber security professionals is rapidly increasing. AI-driven threat detection and automated incident response are at the forefront, with experts needed to leverage machine learning for more efficient security processes.
Cloud Security remains a key priority, with Zero Trust Architecture gaining traction to limit vulnerabilities. Additionally, securing Operational Technology (OT) is becoming increasingly important as industries integrate advanced systems.
The need for professionals with strong business-facing soft skills is also on the rise. Organisations are looking for experts who can effectively communicate complex cyber security issues to non-technical stakeholders. With evolving regulatory requirements and heightened board-level attention, skilled cyber security professionals are essential to navigating these challenges and ensuring organisational resilience.
Hiring strategies and trends in cyber
As demand for cyber security talent grows, organisations are adapting their hiring strategies to find the best candidates. One key trend is expanding the talent pipeline by focusing on transferable skills and industry-specific certifications rather than just generalist experience. This approach allows businesses to tap into a broader range of candidates with backgrounds in IT, data science, and engineering.
Additionally, continuous learning and upskilling are becoming essential. Companies are investing in training programmes to keep their teams ahead of evolving cyber threats and technology. To attract top talent, employers are offering increased compensation, along with flexible working, training opportunities, and other perks, recognising that these benefits are just as important as salary in today's competitive job market.
The changing landscape of Cyber Security
The cyber security market remains competitive, especially for highly skilled technical specialists in architecture, engineering, and product-specific SMEs. As AI and automation advance, they are reshaping job roles, with a growing emphasis on automation and strategic oversight in cybersecurity operations.
Regulatory pressure, including laws like DORA and data privacy mandates, is also driving hiring needs, pushing organisations to focus on compliance and data protection. Meanwhile, the rise of hybrid and remote working continues to expose new security risks, such as remote access and BYOD issues, accelerating the adoption of Zero Trust Architecture to secure all access points. These changes are shaping the future of cyber security roles and strategies.
Looking forward into cyber security in 2025 and beyond
Cyber security is shifting from traditional commoditised pen testing to advanced red teaming and attack simulations to proactively identify vulnerabilities. With growing concerns around OT and IoT security, organisations are prioritising the protection of these critical systems.
There’s increased demand for IAM specialists to manage Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Zero Trust frameworks, as well as experts in cyber resilience, ransomware mitigation, and incident response to minimise downtime and financial losses. AI, automation, and cloud security skills are also in high demand.
Regulatory changes, such as GDPR and NIST, are driving the need for compliance specialists. After a slowdown in security leadership hiring, 2025 is expected to bring more opportunities for experienced CISOs and Heads of Information Security.
