In recent years, search firms have been flooded by requests for director candidates with cybersecurity backgrounds as boards seek to leverage this expertise when responding to rising cyber risks.

…Over the past five years, companies in both the Russell 3000 and S&P 500 have seen the number of directors boasting cybersecurity expertise climb by the hundreds year over year.

In 2017, there were 658 directors at Russell 3000 companies listed as having cybersecurity experience in their biographies or on skill matrices in proxies, according to data provided through public company intelligence provider MyLogIQ. In 2021, that number was 1,905.

Likewise, the number of directors at S&P 500 companies claiming to have cybersecurity skills was 775 in 2021; in 2017, the number was 284.