Global CEOs realistic about growth given headwinds: survey

Global CEOs are mostly optimistic about the economy but cautious about their own revenue growth, says an 11-country survey from KPMG.

The KPMG Global CEO Outlook surveyed 1,300 CEOs from 11 countries across 11 sectors. More than half of those surveyed (55%) are forecasting cautious topline revenue growth of less than 2% for their own businesses over the next three years.

CEOs aim to grow their companies against the following headwinds:

• Geopolitical volatility, specifically a more nationalistic approach to trade, was the top threat to growth.
• Cyber security was identified as the second greatest risk to a company’s growth, and only 51% of CEOs believe they are well-prepared for a cyber attack.
• Repositioning their businesses to meet the needs of millennials is a priority for 38% of surveyed CEOs.

Read: Canadian CEOs bullish on growth prospects in 2018

Other findings from the survey include:

• 70% are looking at emerging markets, particularly Central and South America, as the biggest priority for geographical expansion;
• 59% think protecting customer data are a critical personal responsibility;
• 62% expect AI to create more jobs than it destroys; and
• 67% have used their own intuitions over data to make strategic decisions in the last three years.

Read the full report here.

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Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.