More CEOs anticipate an economic boom (60 per cent) than stagnation (40 per cent) in 2021 and 2022, according to a recent survey of CEOs and Senior Executives by Gartner. Most respondents (35 per cent) anticipate returning to or exceeding 2019 revenue levels as early as this year.
“CEO’s top priorities for 2021 show confidence. Over half report growth as their primary focus and see opportunity on the other side of the crisis, followed by technology change and corporate action,” said Mark Raskino, Research Vice President, Gartner.
The annual Gartner 2021 CEO Survey was conducted between July 2020 to December 2020 among 465 actively employed CEOs and other senior business executives in North America, EMEA and APAC across different industries, revenue and company sizes.
CEOs prioritise digital technology related change was the second highest priority for CEOs. When asked about their organisation’s top five strategic business priorities for the next two years, respondents gave answers in their own words. CEOs’ responses increasingly included the simple word ‘digital’, cited by one in five CEOs in this year’s survey. Digital capabilities was also the only category in which CEOs intended to increase investment in 2021.
“More use of digital technology and the demand for digital channel flexibility are also within the top three anticipated shifts in customer behavior. This suggests that continuing to improve the way customers are served digitally will be vital,” said Kristin Moyer, Research Vice President, Gartner.
