Qatar 2025 CEO Outlook

Qatar 2025 CEO Outlook Insight Summary

Despite global confidence falling to near pandemic levels, Qatar’s CEOs remain optimistic about their own organizations and their future. The 2025 CEO Outlook shows that 68 percent of CEOs in Qatar expect growth, with leaders focusing on AI investment, talent development, and strengthening organizational resilience. These priorities are shaping how they navigate geopolitical uncertainty and economic shifts.

Economic Outlook: Confidence in an Evolving Environment

Qatar’s executives show stronger confidence than their global peers. While global confidence in economic growth remains moderate, most CEOs in Qatar anticipate rising revenues and an increase in workforce size over the next three years.
Key factors influencing investment include cybersecurity, new regulatory requirements, and the integration of AI across operations. Eighty percent of Qatar’s CEOs plan to increase headcount, which reflects strong belief in the country’s growth outlook.

Technology and AI: Moving from Strategy to Scalable Impact

AI remains a leading priority. Forty eight percent of CEOs consider AI a top investment focus, and many are already allocating between ten percent and twenty percent of their total budgets to AI. Confidence in the value of AI is growing as well. Sixty four percent of leaders expect to see returns within one to three years.
Leaders are also aware of challenges, including ethical considerations, data readiness, and the pace of regulation. Still, most CEOs believe their organizations can keep up with the rapid evolution of advanced technologies.

Talent: Preparing the Workforce for an AI Powered Future

People remain central to technology transformation. CEOs in Qatar are prioritizing upskilling, retraining, and hiring to ensure their organizations can fully benefit from AI.
Key highlights include:
• Eighty percent believe AI readiness will directly influence future prosperity
• Seventy two percent are retaining and retraining high potential talent
• Sixty percent are hiring new talent with AI and technology expertise
Leaders also recognize new workforce challenges related to generational differences, retirement trends, and the overall availability of skilled workers.

ESG: Greater Confidence in Climate Progress

Corporate leaders in Qatar are increasingly confident that they can achieve their sustainability goals. Thirty two percent now believe they are on track to meet their two thousand thirty net zero targets, an improvement compared to last year.
AI is seen as a powerful enabler of sustainability efforts, particularly in improving data quality, enhancing reporting, supporting responsible innovation, and improving energy efficiency.
More than half of CEOs in Qatar say sustainability is already fully embedded in their business strategy, reflecting the strong link between climate priorities and long term success.