Stable and agile in volatile times

When it comes to growth, optimism has returned. Swiss companies appear to be in a solid financial position. They’ve balanced their value chains and increased their resilience. But the responses also revealed a certain polarity of opinions, which reflects uncertainty about developments and events. This is because factors such as high interest rates, inflation, the strong Swiss franc and subdued consumption have a different impact depending on the industry and geographical focus.

The transformation chapter proves itself a clear commitment to customer focus through the use of technologies. In terms of the investment balance sheet, the CEOs who took part in the survey indicated that the design and introduction of new technologies as well as the development of new products and services are particularly value-adding. In recent years, Swiss companies have invested heavily in their renowned innovation expertise. And rightly so, because only those who offer the right products and services can survive on the global market.

In the survey, we include a special focus on customer transformation.

The shortage of a qualified workforce continues to be a significant issue for C-level executives. CEOs consider the leadership pipeline and the high Swiss salary level to be just as challenging. The use of technology is shifting the skills that are needed and changing the values of current and future generations. Nevertheless, decision-makers tend to keep employee numbers constant. We need to fully exploit the potential of the technologies that have been rolled out by upskilling and reskilling our workforce.

On the topic of sustainability CEOs have recognised the need for decarbonisation, and a clear majority are committed to climate-friendly products, services and technologies. But our sustainability programmes are now undergoing a multi-layered reality check. They have to withstand a tsunami of regulations and stay profitable. Unfortunately, many markets aren’t yet willing to pay (more) for something that only benefits them indirectly. For this reason, and if we are to make a difference in the environment, the economy and society, we need to think beyond compliance and scale technologies.

In the survey, we include a special focus on sustainability reporting.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) demands new skills and makes competition more dynamic. They also believe in its potential to increase efficiency, sales and profitability. It comes as no surprise that CEOs fear misinformation, legal sanctions and reputational damage. As an algorithmic theory of probability, generative AI is as accurate as the data it’s been trained with. This means we have to find a middle ground between profitability and responsibility.