18 July 2025

Seven Strategic Priorities Reshaping the Global Business Agenda

In the boardrooms of global companies, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of bold reinvention. From the rise of autonomous AI to new climate disclosure rules and unstable supply chains, the decisions CEOs make today will determine not just the success of their companies, but also their relevance.

So, what exactly is on the minds of global CEOs right now? Based on emerging trends, industry analysis, and executive surveys, here are seven topics dominating the C-suite agenda this summer.

1. Agentic and Generative AI: From Experimentation to Operational Core

AI is no longer a pilot project—it’s a core strategic lever. The biggest shift in 2025? The move toward agentic AI: artificial intelligence systems that can complete multi-step tasks autonomously, not just offer suggestions.

Think of an AI that not only drafts a sales email, but also researches the client, schedules a meeting, updates the CRM, and logs the outcomes—without human input.

Why CEOs care:
AI adoption is now tied directly to growth and competitiveness. CEOs are focused on:

• Avoiding fragmentation by consolidating AI use across departments.
• Establishing robust governance frameworks to manage bias, ethics, and hallucination risks.
• Measuring ROI, especially for customer-facing applications like service bots, virtual agents, and content generation.

As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put it recently, “AI is the new runtime for business logic.”

2. Net-Zero, for Real: Sustainability Goes Mainstream (and Mandatory)

What used to be CSR fluff is now a regulatory and strategic imperative. With the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) having come into effect and climate risk disclosures rising worldwide, sustainability is now tied to financial performance.

What CEOs are doing:

• Investing in Scope 3 emissions tracking technologies and product lifecycle tools.
• Building cross-functional ESG teams that include procurement, IT, and compliance.
• Linking sustainability metrics to executive compensation.

Real-world case: Unilever’s Smart Manufacturing program has already reduced carbon emissions in production by 64% since 2020—proving that sustainability can drive efficiency.

3. Workforce Strategy: AI-Augmented Talent, Not AI-Displaced Talent

AI is changing job descriptions faster than HR departments can update them. Yet the best-performing companies are leaning into this shift as an opportunity to upskill and empower their people—not just cut costs.

CEO focus areas:

• Reskilling programs for roles impacted by automation.
• Emphasizing skills-based hiring over degrees or years of experience.
• Enhancing employee experience, especially in hybrid and remote models.

According to a recent WEF survey, 83% of companies plan to invest in reskilling by 2026, particularly in analytical thinking, AI/ML, and systems thinking.

4. Supply Chain: From Fragile to Flexible

Geopolitical tensions, trade barriers, and climate-related shocks have made one thing clear: global supply chains were built for cost, not resilience.

CEOs are now investing in:

• Nearshoring and regionalization of key production lines.
• Digital twin technology for real-time supply chain visibility.
• AI-based risk modelling to proactively identify weak points.

For example, Apple’s diversification of iPhone production to India and Vietnam is seen as a blueprint for geopolitical de-risking.

5. Smarter Cost Optimization: Efficiency Without Killing Innovation

With global inflation still sticky and capital more expensive than it’s been in over a decade, CEOs are walking a tightrope: How do you cut costs without cutting the future?

2025 playbook:

• Replace “big bang” innovation budgets with agile innovation pods tied to business outcomes.
• Use AI to eliminate redundant or low-value tasks (e.g. invoice processing, content moderation).
• Consolidate tech stacks to eliminate tool sprawl across marketing, HR, and IT.

Case in point: Nestlé’s digital transformation strategy has saved hundreds of millions while boosting product development cycles through simulation and AI-led R&D.

6. Regulatory Readiness: Navigating a Fragmented Global Landscape

Whether it's AI regulation in Europe, data privacy in the U.S., or export controls in China, regulatory divergence is creating complexity for global operators.

CEOs are focused on:

• Building in-house legal-technology task forces to monitor and interpret upcoming legislation.
• Investing in compliance-as-a-service and AI governance platforms.
• Scenario planning for “splinter-net” futures where different regions require localized data and AI models.

7. Trust and Transparency: A Company’s Reputation Is Its Capital

In a world where a single whistleblower tweet or data leak can crash your market cap, trust has become the ultimate currency.

Top CEO priorities:

• Transparent ESG and AI reporting.
• Strong cybersecurity hygiene and proactive breach protocols.
• Embedding ethical practices not just in brand values, but also in the algorithms companies deploy.

As Gen Z increasingly becomes both the workforce and the consumer base, authenticity and accountability will determine brand loyalty and employer attractiveness alike.

Final Thoughts: The Leadership Mandate in 2025

Today’s CEOs are being called to lead through profound transformation. The pressure to perform is real—but so is the opportunity to build companies that are more agile, more sustainable, and more human.

In 2025, success means more than just hitting the quarterly numbers. It’s about aligning purpose with performance, tech with trust, and innovation with impact.

And while the future may not come with a playbook, the best CEOs are already writing their own.