ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Clause 5:
Leadership

Key Requirements:

• Top management must manage, not delegate the ISMS
• Leadership has defined responsibilities for ensuring information security execution
• Emphasis on customer focus with specific applications ranging from support for customer regulatory requirements, to risks, and enhancing customer satisfaction
• Management’s responsibilities include supporting the ISMS both visibly and materially. This clause is all about top management ensuring the roles, authorities and responsibilities.

Section 5.1: Leadership and Commitment

The leadership focus subclause of ISO 27001:2022 addresses the importance of support by top management for information security – both visibly and materially. 

1. Management can no longer be delegated. The Organization’s leaders are responsible for the ISMS being implemented and effective.
2. The established policy and objectives must be compatible with the context and strategic direction of the organization.
3. Leadership must ensure integration of the ISMS into the organization’s business processes.
4. Leadership must assign the responsibilities and authorities for ensuring that processes are delivering their intended outputs.

Expanding upon this, this section requires organization leadership to:

• Implement the process approach and risk-based thinking
• Provide the necessary support to fully implement and sustain the ISMS
• Communicate to the organization the importance of conforming to ISMS requirements
• Ensure the ISMS meets its goals
• Engage, direct, and support individuals contributing to the ISMS (i.e., provide employees with training, get employees involved)
• Create a culture of continuous improvement

Leadership commitment is a necessity to passing the ISO 27001:2022 audit. If management does not participate in management reviews or cannot demonstrate to the external auditor that there is a management representative committed to ISO 27001:2022, then the organization will most likely fail.

Clause 5.2: Policy

Leadership is to establish, communicate and enforce a policy that accomplishes the following:

• Is in line with the purpose, context, and strategic direction of the organization
• Provides a framework for the objectives
• Includes a commitment to satisfy applicable requirements
• Includes a commitment to continual improvement

Clause 5.3: Organizational Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities

Responsibilities and authorities for relevant roles must be assigned, communicated and understood within the organization. Specifically, roles that impact the organization’s ability to meet the requirements of 27001:2022, ensure processes are delivering their intended outputs, report ISMS performance and improvement, plan and implement changes to the ISMS, and promote customer focus.

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