The Wall Street Journal: The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission told Congress this week the agency needs to beef up its cybersecurity expertise. The problem is, executives at many private companies feel the same way—and are able to pay more.
When the White House last year created the new post of Federal Chief Information Security Officer, it listed a range of $123,175 to $185,100 for annual salary.
“The government cannot come close to matching private-market compensation packages for top talent,” said Matt Comyns, managing partner of the cybersecurity practice at executive-search firm Caldwell Partners International Inc. “High-profile roles in the private market are paying anywhere from $500,000 to up to $2 million on the high end.”
When chief information security officers move from the government to the private sector, they often can come close to quintupling their compensation packages, Mr. Comyns said.