Global CEOs remain optimistic over the next three years

Corporate leaders continue to have a positive outlook amid heightened uncertainty in the global economy, as they see these economic challenges as an opportunity for further business expansion.

The 2017 Global CEO Outlook, a global survey recently conducted by KPMG International, shows that 65 percent of chief executive officers (CEO) remain confident about their companies’ progress in the next three years. The survey provides insights on CEOs’ expectations for business growth, the challenges they face, and their strategies to chart organizational success.

Global chairman of KPMG John Veihmeyer said that disruption has become a fact of life for CEOs and their businesses as they respond to heightened uncertainty. “But importantly, most see disruption as an opportunity to transform their business model, develop new products and services, and reshape their business so it is more successful than ever before. In the face of new challenges and uncertainties, CEOs are feeling urgency to ‘disrupt and grow’,” he notes.

More than six in 10 CEOs (65 percent) see disruption as an opportunity, not a threat, for their business, while three in four (74 percent) say their business is aiming to be the disruptor in its sector. Within their own businesses, more than eight in 10 CEOs (83 percent) describe themselves as confident in their company’s growth prospects for the next three years, with around half (47 percent) saying they are very confident. Almost seven in 10 (68 percent) say they are evolving their skills and personal qualities to better lead their business. Close to half (45 percent) say their customer insight is hindered by a lack of quality data. More than half (56 percent) are concerned about the data they are basing decisions on.