The Impact of Information Security Breach Incidents on CIO Turnover

ABSTRACT We investigate the relationship between security breaches and chief information officer (CIO) turnover. Because CIOs are directly responsible for IT performance, we argue that their turnover likelihood is higher when they fail to meet IT performance expectations, as reflected by information security breaches. Specifically, we find that breaches caused by system deficiency increase CIO turnover likelihood by 72 percent. However, we find no such association for breaches caused by criminal fraud or human error. We extend our analyses to other executives and document that CEOs are more likely to turn over following breaches caused by both system deficiency and human error, consistent with their broader role within the firm. By contrast, we find no evidence suggesting that CFOs are more likely to turn over following breaches. The findings indicate negative labor market consequences for executives who fail to meet performance expectations within the scope of their duties.