Study

7th Annual Horváth CxO Priorities Study

Rethink Competitiveness in the New Economic Reality 

In today’s world, improving cost and profit structures alone is no longer sufficient to secure long-term competitiveness.​ Markets stagnate and competition intensifies through faster-moving and well-positioned players.​ It is time for companies to fundamentally rethink​ their business model, the role of their headquarter, their operating footprint, the profitability of their technology usage as well as ​the speed in which they yield innovations.

These are just some of the learnings we gain from our 7th annual CxO Priorities Study, for which we interviewed over 1,000 top executives from 32 countries and 16 industries. The analysis reveals their strategic priorities and gives a unique perspective on what drives CxO’s decision-making today and tomorrow. By showing growth, performance and investment ambitions, it helps to set benchmarks and uncover what truly dominates CxO agendas.

Discover how today’s leaders can get back on the winning track with a new logic of competitiveness.

Download the study report here!

Keyfact 2

Which strategic management topics need to be prioritized to ensure steady mid- and long-term growth?

Digital Transformation incl. AI

66 % Very important 29 % Important

Improvement of Cost & Profit Structures

67 % Very important 25 % Important

Cyber Security

49 % Very important 35 % Important

Reorganization of Structures & Processes

39 % Very important 37 % Important

People-driven Topics

32 % Very important 44 % Important

For 95 percent of the participants, the digital transformation, incl. AI, is an important or very important factor to ensure mid- and long-term growth – making it the top priority for 2026, even before Improvement of Cost & Profit Structures, Cyber Security and Process Optimization.

Keyfact 2

Would you like to know more about Horváth’s expertise in the fields of this year’s top 5 priorities?

Please refer to our experts in:

• Digital Transformation & AI
• Improvement of Cost & Profit Structures
• Cyber Security
• Reorganization of Structures & Processes
• People-driven Topics

Keyfact 2

To what extent are the following factors major / relevant challenges for your company’s successful AI transition?

77 % 77 % 70 % 68 %
Data foundation
Workforce capability & skills
Process integration
Data security

Limitations in data quality and availability slow down AI implementation, making a strong data foundation the most critical bottleneck across industries​. Further, companies seem to lack the necessary skills to move to a broader deployment of AI.

Keyfact 2

If you are a company with headquarter in Germany, to what extent are you planning to decrease / increase workforce in different regions over the next five years?

58 % % 0 % % 9 % 9 %
Decrease in Germany
Decrease in India
Decrease in China
Decrease in North America

German companies plan major workforce reductions in Germany, highlighting a clear shift in the domestic role within global operations.

16 % 93 % 66 % 65 %
Increase in Germany
Increase in India
Increase in China
Increase in North America

At the same time, workforce expansion concentrates in regions such as North America, China and India, reflecting stronger market growth and investment environments.

Keyfact 2

 

For more insights, check out our video series: