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Strategists Urge C-Suite to Innovate with AI and Diversify Investments Amid Tariff Woes
24 Aug
Summary
- Strategists advise focusing on "new Asia" like India, Southeast Asia to navigate tariff challenges
- Embracing AI and other tech crucial to boost efficiency in slower growth environment
- Globalisation fragmented, companies must switch to bilateral mindset from global macro
According to leading global strategists and thinkers, C-suite executives must navigate tariff challenges by carefully selecting investment destinations and rapidly adopting transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
Addressing the ET World Leaders Forum 2025 on August 23rd, experts advised companies to look beyond traditional markets and focus on the "new Asia" - countries like India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. This is in light of the "China risk" and potential disruptions to supply chains.
The panelists, including Martin Sorrell of S4 Capital, PwC's Mohamed Kande, and CDPQ's Dame Sharon White, stressed that lower global growth and higher inflation have become the new normal. To thrive in this environment, businesses must prioritize efficiency and agility. They predict that technologies like AI, quantum computing and blockchain will play a crucial role in helping companies maintain or even increase profit margins.
The experts also noted that the global landscape has become increasingly fragmented, with multilateralism giving way to a complex web of bilateral relationships. This requires companies to shift their mindset from a macro, global perspective to addressing specific bilateral issues.
Overall, the strategists urged C-suite leaders to be "first responders" to technological advancements and identify new opportunities amidst the cloud of geopolitical risks and economic uncertainty.
