The 2020 KPMG New Zealand CEO Outlook pulse-check finds New Zealand's chief executives using this unparalleled moment in history to lead with increased purpose and impact, both societal and economic.
KPMG initially surveyed CEOs across the globe in January and February, before many key markets were beginning to feel the full impact of the pandemic crisis. In July and August, KPMG conducted a pulse-check, which included 50 New Zealand CEOs in 11 different industry sectors, to understand how CEOs’ priorities and concerns have evolved during the crisis.
Incoming KPMG Chairman Matt Prichard says, “This latest pulse-check on local and global CEOs clearly shows the challenges all are facing in dealing with the operational, market and financial impacts of the Covid-19 crisis.”
These challenges were identified in the survey results through the following five key themes, which show either a clear change in priorities caused by dealing with the pandemic or an interesting contrast between New Zealand CEOs and their global peers.
Talent risk one of biggest threats to growth
As a result of COVID-19, CEOs of the world’s most influential companies have identified talent risk as one of the most significant challenges to organisational growth. For New Zealand CEOs it has become the second greatest perceived threat behind cyber risk. This is a seismic shift given that less than eight months ago, and prior to Covid-19, talent risk wasn’t even registering in the top ten perceived threats. It is likely that this shift in perception reflects major changes in both demand and supply.
A digital leap forward
The latest pulse-check reveals that half of the New Zealand CEOs surveyed state that the digitisation of operations and the creation of a next-generation operating model has sharply accelerated. With this rapid pace putting organisations years in advance of where their CEOs expected them to be, many CEOs are showing a high degree of confidence about having taken a leap forward.
CEOs reach deeper to drive their organisations through crisis
CEOs have become more purpose driven in the face of Covid-19 and the associated economic crisis, with KPMG’s CEO Outlook Pulse-Check showing nearly 80% of global and New Zealand CEOs surveyed feel a stronger emotional connection to their organisation’s purpose since the crisis began.
CEOs drop focus on climate change
Prior to Covid-19, over half of New Zealand CEOs stated that their growth will be determined by the ability to transition to a low-carbon and clean technology economy. Several months later, KPMG’s global CEO Outlook pulse-check shows the number of New Zealand CEOs that perceive environmental and climate risk as the greatest threat to growth has halved. It is, however, still considered a key organisational and individual material risk.
CEOs confident about supply chains
New Zealand CEOs are much more confident than their Australian or global peers about risk in their supply chains. The pulse-check results indicate that by mid-year, New Zealand CEOs had taken actions in their supply chain processes which justify this confidence. Two thirds of New Zealand CEOs said that the global pandemic has caused them to rethink their global supply chain approach and, while their Australian and global peers rated it as one of their highest risks, it didn’t make the top 10 for New Zealand CEOs.
