For executives around the world, the threats they’re confronting this year may be familiar. The ongoing risks underscore a harsh reality: companies that do not have crisis management plans in place today are no better prepared for these crisis triggers than they were a year ago.
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For business executives around the world, the threats they’re confronting this year may be familiar. The ongoing risks underscore a harsh reality: companies that do not have crisis management plans in place today are no better prepared for these crisis triggers than they were a year ago.
Surveyed CEOs said they are most worried about the risks of a fragile economy, geopolitical and security instability, workforce and tech-related issues, and regulation. That’s according to The Conference Board’s C-Suite Outlook for 2026 that was released today. The research queried 1,732 executives and board members in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. It was conducted from October 10 to November 24, 2025.
Key Findings
The research found that executives were concerned about risks and threats in these seven areas:
- Cyberattacks: 46.5%
- Supply chain disruptions: 41.6%
- Finding qualified workers: 37.2%
- Political uncertainty in the regions where they operate: 35.9%
- Economic downturn/recession: 35.6%
- Regulation in their primary markets: 34.0%
- AI: 30.3%
One of the research results that stood out the most to an official of The Conference Board was “how persistent the talent and skills mismatch remains, even as economic uncertainty tempers hiring in many regions. CEOs worldwide continue to rank finding qualified workers and securing AI-related skills as top challenges—highlighting how rapidly changing technology is outpacing the available talent,” Diana Scott, leader of the organization’s Human Capital Center, observed in a statement.
Executives in different parts of the world were more worried about some threats than others. For example, while 29.8% of CEOs in the U.S. were concerned about tariffs, it was less of a concern for CEOs in Europe (25.7%), Asia (23.3%), and Japan (13.5%).
In today’s global economy, it’s important to face these and other risks head-on. “In a world of increasing trade fragmentation, the goal for business leaders shouldn’t be to outrun geopolitical risk—but to manage it. Rather than pursuing costly supply-chain overhauls, companies should use AI and digital tools to optimize supply chains, diversify suppliers where it matters most, and make targeted adjustments. The message from CEOs is clear: Resilience today comes from smarter coordination and risk management—not wholesale relocation,” David K. Young, president of The Conference Board’s Committee for Economic Development, said in a statement that was sent to me by the organization.
Other Concerns
An informal survey of executives said they are worried about these additional threats:
Ransomware
Ransomware attacks will accelerate and become one of the most pervasive and potentially debilitating threats that businesses face. “The ransomware threat is only getting worse thanks to AI. Cybercriminals are getting more adept at using AI to gain access—quickly identifying vulnerabilities in an organization’s tech stack, developing more sophisticated phishing attempts and deepfake manipulation, etc. —so executives can no longer afford to rely on yesterday’s playbook to protect themselves,” Jon Miller, CEO and co-founder of Halcyon, an anti-ransomware company, told me in an email message.
There are several steps executives can take to deal with this risk. “It is imperative that executives clearly understand the true threat posed by ransomware. They must communicate regularly with their security teams and ask intelligent questions, educate themselves on how their business can be impacted by ransomware long-term, and provide their security teams the resources they need to keep up with evolving threats,” he advised.
Brand relevancy
New brands will find it increasingly difficult to adapt and stay relevant. “As time goes by, attention spans have decreased, it takes longer to gain the trust of your target audience and people’s preferences and behaviors change much faster than internal decision-making processes. When brands rely on old and outdated ways of growing while consumer behaviors continue to shift, this creates many challenges for brands,”Karina Tymchenko, founder of Brandualist, warned in an email to me.
Strategic alignment of technologies
As companies adopt more advanced digital tools, the bigger challenge may be ensuring those technologies actually support clear business goals. “The largest challenge that organizations will face in 2026 will relate to the strategic alignment of technologies. With the growth of new technologies, such as the use of Generative AI, automation, and distributed technologies, organizations face the challenge of adopting technologies that do not help them to deliver their strategic outcomes. It’s not the technologies that organizations will use that may cause them a challenge but the lack of discipline in their strategic use,” Krunal Vyas, CEO of iQlance Solutions, a software development firm, cautioned in an email interview with me.
Adapting to change
Business executives who fail to keep up with the increasing rate of change do so at their peril. “The greatest threat leaders will face in 2026 isn’t just economic or technological disruption. It’s the widening gap between how fast the world is changing and how slowly organizational cultures are adapting. Accenture’s Pulse of Change research shows that 90% of C-suite leaders say the pace of change has accelerated this year, and most expect it to keep increasing,” Anne DeAngelis, executive vice president for employee engagement at Zeno Group, told me in an email message.
Never-ending change and scaled-down corporate structures will place additional burdens on how companies communicate and executives lead. “When employees don’t understand why change is happening, what it means for them, or how the company is supporting them through it, the real risks emerge: disengagement, resistance, stalled performance, and erosion of trust. The companies that will win are the ones that hardwire agility into how they communicate, lead, and design daily work—so employees feel informed, supported, and able to thrive, rather than being run over by change,” DeAngelis predicted.
Bright shiny objects
Not every new technology is worth chasing—especially when hype starts to outweigh strategic judgment. “There’s a lot of tech heading at us in 2026 and some is far superior to others. As such, it’s going to become increasingly important to align new systems and tech procurement to more than just excitement about what it could do for the company. Focus on the strategic goal behind change and vet options fully before jumping to the next game changer that could jeopardize your business. There are many immature offerings and vendors in the market, especially during this AI gold rush. So discernment and resisting shiny objects is key,” Diane Dye, CEO of People Risk Consulting, told me in an email interview.
The business leaders who will be fully prepared for potential crisis situations in 2026 will be those who invest in disciplined planning, resilient systems, and crisis-ready teams that can respond strategically, effectively, and efficiently when worst-case scenarios become reality.
