UK firms push for Chief Trust Officer amid AI & cyber risks

New research indicates that UK business leaders are increasingly prioritising the creation of a Chief Trust Officer role in response to growing concerns around AI, data regulations, and cybersecurity threats.

According to a study by Commvault, a significant 97% of UK organisations believe that having a Chief Trust Officer (CTrO) in the C-suite is now essential. This trend is emerging against a backdrop of waning public confidence in AI and frequent, business-critical cyber incidents affecting UK companies.

The research highlights the fragmented approach to trust-related responsibilities across British companies. While 92% of respondents said a member of the executive team currently manages trust, many feel this arrangement is ineffective. In particular, 7% of leaders acknowledged that no single person is fully accountable for trust, with 1% unsure.

This view is supported by findings that business leaders think a Chief Trust Officer should prioritise customer trust and reputation management (31%), as well as data privacy and compliance (31%).

Board focus

Commvault's report underscores growing concerns within boardrooms about the need to protect company reputations and maintain stakeholder confidence, as threats continue to evolve. The study surveyed 1,000 UK C-Suite leaders from organisations with revenues in excess of GBP £100 million, including chief executives and senior leaders in technology, finance, and compliance.

Accountability for trust is often distributed among Chief Operating Officers, Chief Information Security Officers, and Chief Information Officers. The report suggests this fragmentation increases the urgency to centralise responsibility under a dedicated executive.

"Resilience is a strategic priority for global enterprises. Ten years ago, a data breach was a significant technical issue. Today it's also a headline, a lawsuit, and a board level crisis, all in one. Leaders must now go beyond defending infrastructure to defending investor confidence, brand reputation and careers," said Danielle Sheer, Chief Trust Officer, Commvault. "Trust is an evolving category in the enterprise, and directly relevant to customer expectations and requirements."

This perspective reflects a shift in expectations for company leaders to not only address technical risks but also safeguard wider stakeholder interests.

Priorities and skills

Business leaders ranked both customer trust and rapid crisis response as top priorities for the new Chief Trust Officer post, with 31% highlighting reputation management and 30% identifying crisis response needs such as disinformation or data breaches. These priorities demonstrate the complex scope of digital trust in modern organisations.

The report identifies several skills employers view as critical for a Chief Trust Officer. A deep understanding of data privacy and regulatory frameworks was named as the most in-demand skill (28%), followed by expertise in AI governance and communicating complex technologies effectively (27%). The ability to build and sustain stakeholder trust was also cited by 27% of respondents.

External pressures

The survey found the three most pressing factors intensifying the focus on trust are the rise of AI (37%), tightening cross-border data regulations (34%), and persistent cybersecurity threats, including ransomware (34%).

Support for a dedicated Chief Trust Officer reflects concerns about the business risks posed by these external challenges and the need for more coherent strategies across data protection, privacy, and regulatory compliance.

Only a small minority (7%) reported that no single leader is ultimately responsible for trust-related issues, while 1% of respondents were unsure. The majority see urgent need for a clearly defined position to bring together customer trust, security, compliance, and crisis response functions.

Research approach

The research was conducted by Censuswide, sampling a range of C-suite leaders including CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, CIOs, CISOs, CMOs, Chief People Officers, Chief Sustainability Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, Chief ESG Officers, and Chief Trust Officers. Organisations involved all had annual revenues in excess of GBP £100 million.

The results reveal substantial support for introducing a Chief Trust Officer as UK companies look to address trust issues at a senior, strategic level in the face of increased scrutiny from stakeholders and evolving threats within the digital landscape.