Insights · Template
Executive risk report template
Executives do not need a vulnerability count. They need to know what could stop the business, how exposed it is, what has changed, what has been accepted and what decision is required. This template keeps the report short and comparable period to period.
How to use it
Before the first step.
- Two pages, stable structure, every figure traceable.
- Risk acceptances with expiry dates appear every period until closed.
Steps
Each one owned and evidenced.
| # | Step | Owner | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Headline: the three risks that matter most this period and whether exposure rose, held or fell. | Security lead | Risk register extract |
| 02 | Posture summary: control coverage by domain against the target, with trend. | Security lead | Posture review data |
| 03 | Incidents and near misses: what happened, impact, response performance, lessons. | Security lead | Incident log |
| 04 | Findings and remediation: open findings by severity, closure performance against timelines. | Security lead | Remediation tracker |
| 05 | Risk acceptances: open acceptances, owners, expiry dates, compensating controls. | Security lead | Acceptance register |
| 06 | Third-party and dependency risk: consequential vendors, assessment status, changes. | Security lead | Vendor register extract |
| 07 | Compliance and assurance status: certifications, audits, customer reviews, insurance requirements. | Compliance lead | Status table |
| 08 | Decisions required: investments, acceptances to approve, policies to adopt, with recommendation and reasoning. | Security lead | Decision memo |
| 09 | Evidence index: source for every figure. | Security lead | Index table |
By David Selakovic · Published 2026-10-16 · Revised 2026-10-16 · Reviewed every 180 days