Layer 8 Champions® Impact Report 2026

Who are the champions?

Explore the findings from the first global research study into the effectiveness of security champions programmes on risk reduction.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father and Inventor

A global first for security awareness experts, the debut edition of the Layer 8 Champions Impact Report uncovers the true value of security champions programmes that you can measure.

As managing and mitigating human risk becomes an even bigger focus for organisations everywhere, our global research report documenting the state of play for security champions in 2026 represents a key source of intelligence for anyone still contemplating the value of this kind of investment.

Based on responses and interviews with 100+ organisations in the UK, Europe and the US, find out why strategic alignment proves key to measuring impact on risk reduction, and what security awareness practitioners can do immediately to overcome barriers to implementation.

Get on track to influence culture company-wide with the strategies proven by organisations both large and small to establish a measurable programme that lasts.

Sector and vertical agnostic, use these findings to shape risk decisions and guide outcomes in security awareness, human risk management and cyber risk resilience.

Excerpt from the report

Our main aim is still our biggest challenge

The results displayed in figure 13 show that organisations that claim they do measure programme success and impact are focused on the easy-to-measure aspects, like coverage and session attendance.

Just 7% are attempting to measure the direct impact of security champions on risk reduction.

Section 5: Measurement, Layer 8 Champions® Impact Report 2026

Key findings

Organisations that align their security champions strategy with strategic risks and focused risk mitigating behaviours achieve better buy-in from the wider security team. This enhances champion engagement, improves structure for learning pathways, and accelerates ability to measure impact on risk reduction.

Research highlights:

Organisations see the most growth in secure behaviour adoption after 3+ years of programme implementation

More than a fifth (21%) of organisations remain unsure about long-term ROI, meanwhile lack of time is the #1 barrier to setting up a programme

Seventy-four percent (74%) of organisations with a measurement programme in place report higher champion engagement long-term

Investment in a measurement programme saves costs on lavish incentives and increases programme longevity

Forty-eight percent (48%) of organisations still rely on spreadsheets to measure impact of security champions

In the next 12 months, organisations are most focused on maturing their approach to measuring impact on risk reduction

Guest editor comments

“The Layer 8 Champions® Impact Report moves the conversation on from champions being a nice to have towards champions being a valuable defensive strength.

“Use the findings to remove the guesswork and provide you with both reassurance and direction. It’s a trusted, evidence-led path for building programmes that last.”

Ant Davis, Founder of Kindred Cyber and Co-host of The Awareness Angle

“I thought there would be low appetite for a champions programme but, since launching, I’ve been proven wrong. There’s a desire across the business for better security communications and activities, and the number of volunteer champions we’ve had has exceeded our expectations by around 200%. These people want to do the right thing and want a programme that supports them and gives them the tools to be secure online.”

Anna Brown, Security Culture, Awareness and Communication Lead, FNZ