Swiss edition: PwC’s 27th Annual Global CEO Survey

Stable and agile in volatile times

CEO Survey
  • Survey
  • 15 minute read

From CEO to CEO

The fact that change is considered a constant of our time is nothing new. What’s new is the highly complex volatility of markets, regulations and technologies. As CEOs, we’re faced with the issue of how to lead our companies into the future in a context of uncertainty and ambiguity, while remaining stable and agile in volatile times.

In the Swiss Edition of our 27th Annual Global CEO survey, we share insights from Swiss leaders on the topics of growth, transformation, workforce, sustainability and generative AI. I can also recommend our two excursions on customer transformation and sustainability reporting. I invite you to download the full survey or read our summarised findings below. 

I wish you an inspiring read.

Andreas Staubli
CEO, PwC Switzerland

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47%

of the CEOs surveyed in Switzerland believe that their company’s profitability has improved overall compared to the rest of the industry.

Growth
62%

of Swiss CEOs believe that their company will be economically viable for more than ten years if continuing running on its current path.

Transformation
43%

of CEOs in Switzerland state that they struggle to offer competitive salaries, incentives and fringe benefits.

Workforce

Growth

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.

Transformation

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.

Workforce

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.

Sustainability

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 AI

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.


43%

of Swiss CEOs do not plan to include climate risks in their companies' financial planning.

Sustainability
70%

of the survey participants are convinced that generative AI will increase the cyber risks in the coming year.

Generative AI

Survey sample

This study is based on PwC’s 27th Annual Global CEO Survey conducted by PwC Global. The survey took place in November/December 2023. A total of 4,702 CEOs from 105 countries were surveyed worldwide, 79 of them in Switzerland. Global sampling was weighted according to national gross domestic product (GDP) to make sure that the views of the CEOs in the important regions of the world were fairly represented. 

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https://pages.pwc.ch/core-asset-page?asset_id=7014L000000IIJHQA4&embed=true&lang=en

Contact us

Andreas Staubli

Andreas Staubli

CEO, PwC Switzerland

Tel: +41 58 792 44 72

Stéphanie Tobler Mucznik

Stéphanie Tobler Mucznik

Head of Corporate Communications, PwC Switzerland

Tel: +41 58 792 18 16