Almost 60 percent of CEOs around the world expect global economic growth to increase over the next 12 months, according to PwC’s 28th Annual Global CEO Survey, launched during today’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The report, which surveyed 4,701 CEOs across 109 countries and territories, also finds that 42 percent of businesses expect to increase headcount by 5 percent or more in the next 12 months – more than double the proportion who expect headcount decreases (17 percent), and up from 39 percent last year. The percentage is highest (48 percent) among smaller companies (less than US$100 million) and those in the technology (61 percent), real estate (61 percent), private equity (52 percent) and pharma and life sciences (51 percent) sectors. More →

CEOs face sleepwalking into reputational disaster through a concerning over-confidence which masks inadequate crisis planning to mitigate modern day risks, according to a new report [registration] from PHA Group. The survey questioned 150 CEOs across the UK’s £240bn professional services sector on confidence and planning in navigating business critical issues. Examining issues from workforce management and whistleblowing to climate change and regulation, CEOs from law firms, insurance, finance and accounting, consultancy and recruitment conveyed confidence but also revealed a lack of investment and planning. More →

A new poll from Unmind claims claims that there is a significant discrepancy between how UK managers believe they’re performing and the experience of those being managed by them, with over two-thirds (67 percent) UK workers having left or considered leaving their job because of a bad manager. The survey of 3,005 office workers (1,500 managers and 1,505 employees) suggests that, while 83 percent of managers say they’ve had formal training in people management, only 63 percent of their direct reports don’t believe it. Two fifths (40 percent) UK workers say they don’t believe their manager has had sufficient training or the right skills to perform their role. More →

New data suggests that 39 percent of Britain’s top 100 fastest-growing companies were founded by individuals born outside the United Kingdom, even though immigrants make up less than 15 percent of the overall population. The research, conducted by think tank The Entrepreneurs Network and supported by Fragomen, highlights the significant role that high-quality immigration plays in driving business growth and innovation. Previous research from 2019 showed an even higher proportion, with 49 percent of Britain’s top 100 fastest-growing companies having a foreign-born founder.
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Leaders should foster a culture of positive, constructive challenge, which can help mitigate risks and improve decision making, according to experts at Imperial College Business School. In a new white paper, researchers from Imperial’s Centre for Responsible Leadership analysed the strategies that leaders can implement to successfully elicit challenge from their teams. The paper contains key lessons and evidence-based recommendations for leaders to encourage challenge, that can be applied to a wide range of organisations. More →