Midyear observations on the board agenda

Low visibility and high volatility aren’t new operating conditions, by any means. But the assumptions that have long driven corporate thinking—cost of capital and sources of energy, geopolitical norms and trade flows, the limits of technology and the security of data, workforce needs and expectations, and traditional competitive threats—continue to be shaken, some profoundly. In short, the fundamentals are changing.

Approaching midyear, business leaders are bullish on growth and the opportunities ahead. Some 87 percent of US CEOs are highly confident in the growth prospects of the US economy, 78 percent are highly confident in the growth of their company, and most expect to increase headcount over the next year.¹ At the same time, the macro forces of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), climate change, a multipolar geopolitical landscape and the erosion of trust and healthy public discourse are sobering the outlook and prompting deeper boardroom conversations about risk and strategy, talent, and what the future will look like for the company, corporate America, and the country.

Based on our ongoing work with directors and recent conversations with business leaders and luminaries at the 2024 KPMG Board Leadership Conference²—we offer observations and insights that may be helpful as boards calibrate their agendas for the second half of 2024.

Read the full Midyear observations on the board agenda below.

Footnotes: 

¹ 2024 KPMG U.S. CEO Outlook Pulse Survey, March 2024.

² 2024 KPMG Board Leadership Conference, April 8–10, 2024.