Balancing Margins & Growth

“At a time of high uncertainty, control what you can but remain ambitious.”

That was the theme of a report on the results of a recent survey of chief executive officers (CEOs), The CEO Agenda 2025. While 70% of CEOs are prioritizing cost management and operational excellence—up sharply from 39% last year—nearly the same proportion (68%) report doing so explicitly to fund future growth, a notable rise from 56%.

On the cost management side, 70% of CEOs cited cost controls as one of their;top three priorities for the next two years, up from 39% from last . . .