Mark Averill –
New Zealand Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are optimistic about growth and plan to hire more people, but are worried about the skills needed and the rise of new technological risks.
Our Survey shows that our CEOs are concerned about cyber threats (91%), availability of key skills (84%) and the speed of technological change (84%).
The PricewaterhouseCoopers Twentieth annual CEO Survey showed that almost all respondents (97%) are confident about their revenue growth prospects for the next three years, while 91% believe they will hit their growth targets for the next 12 months.
Organic growth plans
The Survey also portrays a clear picture of where CEOs see growth coming from within their organisations: People, Technology and Businesses working together.
Organic growth plans are still on the agenda, with 75% still counting on it to drive profitability (Global: 79%).
About 72% said that they see new opportunities in partnering with other firms, an area where local CEOs are well ahead of their overseas counterparts (48%).
They are also more willing to work with entrepreneurs and start-ups than their global counterparts (NZ: 41%, Global: 28%).
We have seen a lot of big changes in the business world over the past 20 years since we have run the CEO survey, but more so over the last few years and New Zealand companies face more challenges.
In New Zealand, a lot of our concerns stem from uncertain economic and political times, coupled with the rapid changes that come from advances in technology.
Technology has had a massive impact on the speed at which we operate, especially when it comes to the global market.
From our perspective at PwC, our clients expect us to always be available and to have the ability to access both people and information globally.
It is transforming the way we work.
Diverse workforce
The challenge of finding, training and keeping the right people for the business has been on the top of the mind for local CEOs for the past few years.
This year is no different, with CEOs still finding it difficult to recruit people with the skills they need.
More than half (53%) of CEOs plan on increasing headcount this year with 81% wanting to change their people strategy to reflect emerging skills and employment structures they will need in the future.
With the speed of technological change a concern for 84% of CEOs, it is no surprise that skills in leadership and emotional intelligence, creativity and innovation and digital are identified as the most valuable yet difficult to recruit.
Attracting and developing great people who are relevant to the future of our business is an important focus for companies across the board.
We have started to work more closely with universities to ensure that graduates have the skills needed to make a difference in this changing business environment.
Diversity of thought is also critical; we have recruit people who think differently if our companies are to be ready for the future.
It is about embracing all aspects of diversity as an everyday business matter, which is our focus at PwC New Zealand.
Sustained growth
With the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and predictions of a ‘Trump Slump,’ it is encouraging to note that CEOs still consider Australia (72%) to be a top contender to help us grow. However, the USA shares the number-one spot, having grown in popularity from last year (2016: 47%). China (63%) rounds out the top-three destinations.
This ‘Pacific-First’ mindset certainly is good for our future growth. Since our first CEO Survey, China has gone from our eighth-largest trading partner to our second-largest, with exports nearly quadrupling.
In New Zealand, globalisation has also changed the demographics of our country.
A recent World Migration report found that Auckland is more ethnically diverse than New York, Sydney and London.
It is a huge opportunity for our companies, not just as a way to develop that diversity of thought, but also to create new growth opportunities and business connections across the Pacific region.
Cyber Security
Trust is now more important than ever, with 72% of CEOs reporting that it is harder to gain and keep trust in an increasingly digitised world.
Equally concerning was cyber security, with 94% feeling that cyber breaches will negatively impact trust in their industry and half of these saying it will be ‘to a large extent.’
Cyber security has been an increasingly worrying issue over the last three years, with concern growing from 66% in 2015 to 77% in 2016 and now sitting at 91%.
Cyber-attacks are happening around the world and that fear is valid, but unfortunately there isn’t a quick fix to the issue.
The good news is that organisations are responding to these new threats and investing more in risk management tools.
In the case of cyber security, 97% of respondents said they are addressing these risks within their businesses. For social media, 81% of our surveyed CEOs stated they are managing these risks to some extent.
Building a business that is driven by great ideas has to start with having the right people. You must then support them with the right technology.
Trust is equally important, without it you cannot solve the really important problems. Those businesses that are successful at building trust and creating transparency – not just with their clients and within society, but amongst their people as well – will have a competitive advantage.
Mark Averill is Chief Executive and Senior Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand, based in Auckland.
