Cybersecurity Leadership with Jadee Hanson, CISO at Vanta

Cybersecurity leaders today carry a dual burden: they are guardians of their organizations’ most critical assets while also navigating the relentless personal and professional strain that comes with the role. Burnout among CISOs and security executives is a strategic risk that impacts decision-making, team performance, and ultimately, organizational resilience.

To delve deeper into this topic, we spoke with Jadee Hanson, CISO at Vanta. With years of experience leading security strategies in high-growth environments, Hanson shared her perspective on the evolving demands of cybersecurity leadership, the realities of burnout, and the practices that can help leaders and their teams stay resilient in the face of constant change.

Q. It’s great to have connected with you! At Vanta, you’re not just responsible for protecting the business but also influencing how security becomes part of the product. How does that dual responsibility shape your work as CISO?

Hanson: I’m the CISO at Vanta, an AI-powered trust management platform. I’m responsible for our security and IT program and oversee Security Engineering, Security Operations, Information Technology, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance.

I have over 20 years of experience helping accelerate business outcomes for companies ranging from startups to billion-dollar brands. Before joining Vanta, I spent seven years at Code42 where I most recently served as the CIO and CISO, leading the enterprise security and technology strategy. Prior to that, I spent another over seven years at Target, most recently as the Senior Director of Target Information Security, developing Target’s security risk governance strategy.

At Vanta, my role is that of a CISO but being the CISO for a security company is broader and more dynamic in nature. Not only do I have a responsibility to deliver technology and protect customer data, I also play a role in helping to shape our product roadmap and deliver value to our customers.

Q. The role of cybersecurity leaders has never been more vital—or more stressful. Today, CISOs face rising burnout from overwork and evolving cyberthreats. The exhaustion many security leaders feel right now is real, and it’s getting harder to ignore. As an experienced professional, how do you think a security leader can deal with this burnout situation?

Hanson: Burnout can happen due to a multitude of factors. Oftentimes with security teams it stems from feeling emotionally and operationally unprepared for when something goes wrong. This is the pressure of perfection.

Throughout my over 7 years as a CISO, I’ve learned a lot about how to tackle burnout. My biggest piece of advice would be to identify what the root cause of your burnout is, whether that is misalignment, lack of autonomy, insufficient rewards, etc. Once the root cause is identified, it’s critical that you address it head on. I’ve learned first hand that if you don’t commit to changing your environment, the feeling of being burnt out won’t go away. The strategic CISOs are the ones who are shifting risk decisions to the business and refusing to be the scapegoats.

CISOs can help prevent their security teams from feeling burnt out by doing the following:

• Cross-training internal resources, ensuring everyone can take a proper vacation
• Redefining what success means and moving away from the standard of zero incidents to faster detection and more effective response
• Measuring burnout signals like on-call data, alert fatigue, and incident response hours to make sure thresholds aren’t surpassed

Q. Did you ever face a burnout-like situation during your career as a security leader? Would you like to share your experience?

Hanson: Every CISO has experienced burn out at some point in their career and if they say they haven’t, they are lying. The CISO role is a high stakes role.

It’s the only C-Level role at the company where there is an external adversarial group working against you each day. CISOs have to stay vigilant every day and have to have a mature and robust process to react at a moment’s notice. I went through a very large scale breach earlier in my career and this was when I felt the most burnt out. Not only physically from the lack of sleep and endless work that needed to get done, but from the emotional toil a breach can have on a security team. It’s a feeling of letting down your company that can be incredibly stressful.

Q. Do you think the CISO’s role will become the least desirable role in business in the future? In the evolving cybersecurity landscape, what can CISOs do to stay relevant in the competitive landscape?

Hanson: As cybersecurity threats advance and cybersecurity budgets get tighter, CISOs are put in a tough position. The forward-looking CISOs will remain on top.

There are two types of CISOs in the world, one being more traditional technical gatekeepers and the others being business enablers. The former type of CISO will fall behind as there is a need for forward-looking CISOs who take on the role as the cross-functional architect of trust. CISOs aren’t just managing risks – they have a pivotal role in boosting revenue, protecting brand reputation, and accelerating growth.

Here’s how CISOs can make sure they are adding value both to the organization and customers in the often controversial role:

Cut costs but don’t risk security:

Look for areas to reduce costs around legacy tools, but not at the expense of your organization’s security posture.

Prove ROI:

There are different ways CISOs can measure ROI, from tracking KPIs to showing how the security program has matured over time, it’s critical you outline the costs saved by meeting customer expectations and avoiding costly incidents.

Show that your team drives value:

Highlight how your commitment to strong security initiatives has allowed your organization to enter new markets, build customer trust, foster long-term relationships, and unlock new opportunities for partnerships.  

Q. What advice would you like to give future cybersecurity leaders?

Hanson: It’s important for cybersecurity leaders to build cross functional trust throughout the company by being able to listen, adapt, and work alongside others – this is what true leadership is about. Below are a five key pillars of focus for future leaders in cybersecurity. 

Build Cross-Functional Trust as a Foundation

Cybersecurity is no longer a siloed function, it touches every part of a modern business, from finance and HR to product and marketing. The strongest leaders recognize that their effectiveness depends on the trust they earn across departments..

Balance Risk With Business Value

Future cybersecurity leaders must resist the trap of being seen as “the department of no.” Instead, their role is to help the business take calculated risks safely.

Lead With Empathy and Adaptability

Threat landscapes change quickly, and so do business priorities. Leaders who thrive are those who stay adaptable, knowing that yesterday’s security playbook won’t solve tomorrow’s challenges.

Invest in People, Not Just Technology

While technology is critical, people remain the greatest asset. Prioritize training, mentorship, and career development for teams. I have always made space for teams to spend the money to get the training they need.

Stay Curious and Future-Focused

Finally, cybersecurity leaders need to keep one foot in the present and one in the future. Staying curious and focusing on continuously learning and scanning for emerging threats, tools, and frameworks. It’s important for leaders to position themselves as strategic advisors who help the company stay ahead, not just react.

The best advice for future cybersecurity leaders is this: leadership in security is about people, not just technology. Build trust, speak the language of the business, empower your team, and adapt as the world changes. True leadership comes from being a partner, not a gatekeeper.