CEO Outlook 2026: Energy, Natural Resources & Chemicals

Despite mounting concerns around an uncertain economic and geopolitical landscape, CEOs across the Energy, Natural Resources and Chemicals (ENRC) sector are entering the next phase with confidence.

Our latest CEO Outlook reveals strong optimism about the sector’s future and the performance of their own organisations.

James Delahunt

Partner, Corporate Finance, Head of Energy & Natural Resources

KPMG in Ireland

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Key findings

84%

of CEOs in the ENRC sector are confident in industry growth, up from 72% last year
65%

of CEOs say AI is as a top investment area – a 12 percent increase from 2024
66%

of CEOs expect returns from AI investment within 1-3 years, up from 15% last year
40%

of CEOs are actively reskilling and upskilling roles affected by AI
80%

of CEOs agree their leadership understands AI’s disruptive potential
82%

of ENRC CEOs believe AI can support emissions reduction and energy efficiency

For more, download the full report

KPMG 2025 Global Energy, Natural Resources and Chemicals CEO Outlook

(PDF, 2.2MB)

Download our ENRC report

Get in touch

If you have any queries related to the findings of the Global 2025 Energy CEO Outlook or how these insights can be applied to your organisation, please don’t hesitate to contact our team below.

We’d be delighted to hear from you.