What are CEOs most worried about in 2026? persistent global shocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nMore than 2,000 ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf, and 20,000 to 30,000 sailors are affected, and according to the CEO of one of the world’s largest shipping services firms, it is just a symptom of a deeper problem.<\/p>\n
Officials from banking, energy, manufacturing and technology spoke cnbc <\/i>There was a shared verdict last week at Converge Live Singapore: the era of episodic crises is over.<\/p>\nWhat are CEOs most worried about in 2026?<\/h2>\n
Companies that built their operations around predictable planning cycles are dismantling them. “We kind of threw out our three-year and five-year plans,” one executive said. cnbc<\/i>. Replacement is not a new plan; This is a seat.<\/p>\n
“It’s no longer ‘just in time’; it’s ‘just in case’,” said Thomas Knudsen, managing director of Evalry Group Pandora for Asia. Supply chains are being replicated, inventory strategies are being rewritten, and logistics are being re-routed, often at very high costs. For example, Pandora has increased its use of air freight rather than sea transportation to remain nimble. “Ultimately, it will all be passed on to the consumer,” Knudsen said.<\/p>\n
almost every CEO cnbc <\/i>AI identified as both a growth driver and structural risk. Investors warn that traditional SaaS businesses face particular pressures as AI agents replace per-seat software licensing. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe product is becoming less of a moat,\u201d said Magnus Grimland, CEO of early-stage VC firm Antler. “Those who can’t reinvent themselves will really struggle.”<\/p>\n
DBS CEO Tan Su Shan, who runs Southeast Asia’s largest bank, framed the AI \u200b\u200bchallenge around trust rather than capability. \u201cEveryone has access to AI, everyone has technology, and everyone can have access to great talent,\u201d he said. He argued that the differentiator is what consumers and institutions choose to believe. Their cyber team operates on a zero-trust basis: “Trust no one, trust no one.”<\/p>\n
Officials serving large-scale consumers said demand has not broken, but spending patterns are changing. Goto CEO Hans Patuwo said Indonesia’s middle-income consumers are now willing to trade variety and speed for lower prices. GCash operator Martha Sazon rated ASEAN Consumer Resilience seven out of ten, solid, but not immune. “They’re really very selective,” he said.<\/p>\n
DBS’s Tan put it clearly: “If you are a manager, manage with maximum flexibility. Stress test, stress test, stress test.” Whether business leaders can convince employees, customers and investors that they are prepared for the next shock before it hits may be the defining management challenge of the decade. <\/p>\n
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke at the event, saying he saw it as a deep risk: “What inspires me is the fact that so many people are being led to believe that they don’t matter anymore.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n