CEOs in APAC double down on people and adaptability to navigate global instability

Amid global instability and slowing economic optimism, CEOs in Asia-Pacific are responding with growing confidence and a renewed focus on people and adaptability. According to The CEO Response, Egon Zehnder’s latest global CEO survey, launched at the Berlin Global Dialogue and surveying 1,235 global CEOs, including 132 leaders from the Asia-Pacific region.

Globally, 92% of CEOs say they need to foster unprecedented levels of adaptability, with nearly three-quarters (72%) expecting global prosperity to stagnate or decline. Yet, despite these challenges, leaders report feeling better prepared to manage complexity than ever before.

In Asia-Pacific, leaders are tackling global challenges with a more assured and regionally focused mindset. The percentage of CEOs in the region who feel “moderately unprepared” to face complexity (rating their preparedness seven out of 10) has fallen sharply, from 24% in 2024 to 17% this year.

“Faced with global headwinds, leaders in Asia-Pacific are not waiting for the world to stabilise; they are actively building a more resilient future from within the region,” said Ang Wan May, Singapore Managing Partner, Egon Zehnder. “In fact, our data demonstrates that leaders in Asia-Pacific are taking global uncertainty in their stride, and their confidence has measurably increased. Their response is built on a clear strategy: strengthen regional alliances, invest in technology and AI, and ground it all in a deep personal commitment to adaptability for themselves and their teams.”

While economic uncertainty remains a top concern across all markets (43% in Asia-Pacific vs. 44% globally), leaders in Asia-Pacific are distinctly more focused on the human dimensions of leadership. Compared to their global peers, they place greater emphasis on:

• Talent acquisition and development (42% vs. 38%)
• Health and safety of the workforce (35% vs. 20%)
• Changing consumer behaviour (36% vs. 25%)

This people-first inclusion is underpinned by a deeper commitment to adaptability and inclusion. Two-thirds (66%) of CEOs in Asia-Pacific strongly agree that they need to build adaptability in themselves and their teams—well above the global average of 55%. They also rate listening (35% vs. 29% globally) and inclusion of diverse perspectives (27% vs. 19%) as “extremely important” leadership traits.

Additionally, leaders in Asia-Pacific are leaning into regional partnerships as engines for growth. Over half identify their own region (51%) and India (50%) as the most promising markets for new business partnerships. This stands in contrast to CEOs in the US and Europe, who primarily prioritise domestic markets (59% and 48%, respectively).

READ MORE: Global CEOs double down on AI and talent amid declining economic confidence

To realise this regional vision, leaders in Asia-Pacific are directing investments towards strategic alliances (46%) and AI (45%), alongside continued innovation (53%).

The study also revealed a significant shift in how leaders define their roles beyond corporate performance. Nearly all global CEOs (97%) say they want to contribute to global prosperity, but leaders in Asia-Pacific feel this responsibility more acutely, with 48% believing they must engage beyond their business to help shape a better future, compared to 40% of their global peers.

Michael Ensser, Global Chair of Egon Zehner, concluded, “Leadership today means forging new paths with strategic foresight, pragmatism, and collective intelligence. Many leaders have recently invested specifically in honing these skills. That investment is now paying off.”