Overview
An ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer certification shows that a person can plan, build, run, and improve an information security management system (ISMS) that conforms to ISO/IEC 27001:2022. ISO publishes the standard but doesn't certify people. Several certification bodies run their own Lead Implementer programs, including PECB and BSI, so the exam, experience rules, and renewal terms depend on who issued the credential. This page uses PECB's scheme for detail.
PECB's scheme has 4 grades, from Provisional Implementer with no experience up to Senior Lead Implementer, and the Lead Implementer grade asks for 5 years of work experience, 2 of them in information security management, plus 300 hours of ISMS project activity. BSI's Lead Implementer course ends with an exam and a BSI Training Academy certificate. Grades depend on experience. The ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor credential covers the other side of the standard, auditing an ISMS rather than building one, and the PCI Security Standards Council accepts a certified ISO 27001 Lead Implementer as one of its information security prerequisites for QSA candidates.
What the exam covers
Each body sets its own syllabus. PECB's Lead Implementer exam has 80 questions across 7 competency domains, with the share of the exam published for each.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Fundamental principles and concepts of an information security management system | 18.75% |
| Information security management system requirements | 15% |
| Planning of an ISMS implementation based on ISO/IEC 27001 | 22.5% |
| Implementation of an ISMS based on ISO/IEC 27001 | 17.5% |
| Monitoring and measurement of an ISMS based on ISO/IEC 27001 | 12.5% |
| Continual improvement of an ISMS based on ISO/IEC 27001 | 7.5% |
| Preparation for an ISMS certification audit | 6.25% |
Requirements
Requirements differ by body. For the PECB Certified ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer grade, candidates need 5 years of work experience (2 in information security management) and 300 hours of ISMS project activities, and a Provisional Implementer grade is available with no experience.
- Format
- Open-book, multiple-choice exam with stand-alone and scenario-based questions (PECB)
- Questions
- 80 (PECB)
- Time
- 3 hours (PECB)
- Passing score
- 70% (PECB)
- Delivery
- Online through the PECB Exams application with a remote invigilator, or on paper at a PECB partner training location (PECB)
PECB candidates sign the PECB Code of Ethics and can take the exam without the course. BSI's course runs 4 days in the UK and ends with an exam on the final day.
Cost
Exam fee: USD 1,000 for the PECB Lead exam taken without training, plus a USD 500 certification application fee. PECB prices from its Lead Implementer candidate handbook, checked 2026-10-12. When candidates train with a PECB partner, the training fee includes the first exam attempt, one free retake, the application fee, and the first year of maintenance. Other bodies set their own prices (BSI's UK course was GBP 2,600 plus VAT on the same date), and prices change.
Keeping it current
- Cycle
- 3 years (PECB)
- Continuing education
- 90 CPD hours per 3-year cycle for the PECB Lead Implementer grade
- Fees
- PECB annual maintenance fee of USD 390 per 3-year cycle
How to verify that someone holds it
Employers should check with the body named on the certificate. PECB's online certificate verification tool takes the holder's name, certificate type, and certificate number, and PECB also issues Credly badges. Use the issuer’s verification page.
On InfoSecHub, a ISO 27001 LI listed on a profile shows Verified by Credly only when a current Credly badge issued to that person confirms it.
Typical roles
- ISMS manager
- Information security manager
- ISO 27001 consultant
- Compliance manager
- Security program lead
Related frameworks
Official resources
From Various certification bodies. Links open the issuer’s site.
- ISO 27001 LI official page, Various certification bodies
- ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer candidate handbook, PECBhandbook
- Certificate verification, PECBverification
- Lead Implementer training course, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, BSI
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information security management systems, ISO
References
- ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer candidate handbook, version 1.5, PECB
- ISO/IEC 27001 certification scheme, PECB
- Certification maintenance policy, PECB
- Accreditations and affiliations, PECB
- Lead Implementer training course, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, BSI
Reviewed 2026-10-12. Exam details, prices, and renewal rules change. Confirm them on the Various certification bodies website before you register. InfoSecHub is not affiliated with Various certification bodies.