Core Insights - A significant 97% of UK business leaders believe that the role of Chief Trust Officer (CTrO) is essential in addressing challenges related to AI, cybersecurity, and data management [1][5][6] - The urgency for a CTrO arises from the need to consolidate accountability for customer trust, security, and regulatory compliance, which is currently fragmented among various roles [2][5] Industry Trends - Trust has emerged as a critical theme for businesses, with a majority of UK organizations recognizing the immediate need for modern defense and resilience capabilities [3][4] - The evolving nature of trust in enterprises is directly linked to customer expectations and the necessity to protect brand reputation and investor confidence [4] Role Priorities - Business leaders identified key priorities for the CTrO role, including customer trust and reputation management (31%) and rapid crisis response to events like data breaches (30%) [5][9] - The most in-demand skills for a CTrO include deep understanding of data privacy and regulatory frameworks (28%), knowledge of AI governance (27%), and the ability to build stakeholder trust (27%) [9] External Pressures - The study highlights that external factors driving the need for a CTrO include the rise of AI (37%), cross-border data regulations (34%), and persistent cybersecurity threats such as ransomware (34%) [5]

Core Insights - 93% of UK businesses have experienced a business-critical cyber incident, significantly higher than the global average of 86% [2][3] - UK organizations are 21% less likely to have a dedicated recovery environment and 11% less likely to have tested their recovery plans recently compared to other countries [3][6] - The concept of Minimum Viability Company (MVC) is highlighted as essential for quick business resumption post-cyberattack, yet many UK businesses face challenges in achieving this [4][5] Cyber Incident Statistics - Only 7% of UK businesses report never having experienced a business-critical incident, while 57% of incidents occurred in the last 18 months [2] - Nearly two-thirds of UK businesses have taken foundational steps towards resilience, with 65% maintaining an inventory of critical systems and 61% creating defined incident response processes [6] Barriers to Recovery - The complexity of existing systems and applications is cited as the biggest challenge for 52% of UK businesses in achieving MVC [5] - 47% of respondents struggle to align recovery plans with changing business needs, and 30% find it difficult to separate core systems from broader operations [5] Organizational Readiness - Only 36% of UK organizations strongly believe in prioritizing the MVC approach, indicating a gap in commitment to recovery strategies [7] - The evolving threat landscape has made business recovery a key concern at the board level, highlighting the need for executive leadership to prioritize recovery efforts [8]