Artificial intelligence is the top concern for chief executives in Asia-Pacific, with 94% describing it as a critical or existentially critical challenge, while regional leaders report greater preparedness for disruption than their global peers, a survey by leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder found.
The survey of 843 CEOs worldwide, including 70 in Asia-Pacific, found that 78% of regional respondents rated their organisations’ readiness to adapt at least seven out of 10, up from 31% in 2024. Globally, the proportion fell to 58% in 2026 from 64% a year earlier.
The findings point to a divergence between regional leaders’ expectations of external risks and their confidence in responding to them.
About 73% of Asia-Pacific CEOs expect geopolitical disruption to increase over the next 12 months, compared with 62% globally.
Geopolitical instability was considered a critical or existentially critical challenge by 89% of respondents in both Asia-Pacific and worldwide.
Economic uncertainty ranked slightly lower in the region, at 85%, against 89% globally.
Despite these pressures, Asia-Pacific CEOs appear to be approaching artificial intelligence as part of a broader innovation strategy rather than a standalone technology investment.
Innovation was cited by 54% of regional respondents as a major change being implemented, compared with 48% globally, while investment in AI was cited by 43% in Asia-Pacific and 50% worldwide.
New strategic alliances and partnerships were also a higher priority in the region, cited by 37% of respondents against 30% globally.
Business relationships featured prominently in the regional responses.
Informal CEO networks were identified as among the most important alliances by 72% of Asia-Pacific leaders, compared with 47% globally, while 41% cited public-private partnerships, against 32% worldwide.
More than half of regional respondents, or 56%, said business alliances had become more important over the past year, compared with 45% globally.
The survey also highlighted the importance regional CEOs place on combining personal leadership qualities with professional expertise.
Some 96% said success would depend on strengthening both their inner capabilities, including resilience, self-awareness and learning agility, and their external skills, such as business acumen and enterprise judgment. The global figure was 85%.
“CEOs can invest in AI much faster than they can change how an organization works,” said Francesco Buquicchio, global CEO of Egon Zehnder.
Leaders need to identify where the technology can make a difference, ensure employees have the skills to use it and continue investing for the long term, he said.
Ang Wan May, Singapore managing partner at Egon Zehnder, said some data-driven companies in Singapore were creating chief AI roles to lead strategy and deployment across their businesses, rather than focusing solely on technology platforms.
The survey results were presented at the Berlin Global Dialogue. Asia-Pacific respondents represented sectors including financial services, industry, consumer businesses, and technology and communications. Nearly two-thirds led publicly listed companies.
Egon Zehnder said year-on-year comparisons for Asia-Pacific should be treated as directional because the sample sizes differed between survey editions.
