C-suite leaders in Asia-Pacific confident in ability to tackle technology challenges
C-suite leaders in Asia-Pacific report strong confidence in their ability to navigate challenges like cybersecurity risks and AI adoption. Despite that, governance structures across the region are still evolving as organizations continue to confront emerging risks.
This ability among APAC business leaders to adapt and overcome difficulties in the market is especially strong when it comes to technology. That is according to the 2026 CEO & Board Confidence Monitor from Heidrick & Struggles, which surveyed over 250 APAC leaders (among a larger pool of global leaders) and found a high level of confidence in their ability to face pressing issues.
The survey found confidence in the ability to tackle a variety of issues has risen across all categories since last year among global CEOs. When it comes to AI, 39% of respondents reported confidence, compared to 33% last year. More than half (51%) are confident in facing the challenges of cybersecurity, while 42% express confidence in dealing with economic uncertainty.
In general, technology issues are central to APAC organizations and at the top of leadership agendas. For example, 44% of respondents identified AI as one of the most significant issues their organizations will face in 2026, with 39% pointing to cybersecurity risk, higher than the 31% global average.
“The breadth of what is landing on leadership agendas across APAC right now is significant. The real test for leaders is carrying the weight of today’s volatility while simultaneously transforming for what comes next,” said Jiat-Hui Wu, partner-in-charge at Heidrick & Struggles Singapore.
“Technology is reshaping organizations faster than governance structures can keep pace with. The leaders who will define this region’s next chapter are those who can steer through current pressures without losing sight of where they need to take their organizations tomorrow.”
The survey found big differences among regions. Executives in North America and Europe tend to focus more on macro-level risks, such as economic uncertainty and shifts in market dynamics, while executives in the APAC and Middle East regions prioritize cybersecurity, AI, and increasing expectations around governance and social responsibility.
Growing geopolitical risk
Even the best governance and foresight seem harder to translate into confidence for risks that sit largely outside organizational control, such as economic and geopolitical uncertainty. For example, when it comes to geopolitical volatility, 78% of respondents selected options that are within their control and 86% selected options outside of their control.
Indeed, geopolitical risk is of growing concern specifically for APAC business leaders. Owing to the ongoing war in the Middle East and the partially blocked Strait of Hormuz, oil prices have skyrocketed and shipments of oil and gas towards Asia have been seriously impacted.
This growing energy crisis is being felt the hardest in Asia, which is highly dependent on the supply chains being blocked by Iran and the US. Thailand, for example, has seen severe fuel shortages impact a range of industries from agriculture to tourism, while Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines are also running dangerously low on fuel.
While South Korea, Japan, and China are also affected by the drastic reduction in energy supply to the APAC region, these more developed nations have strategic stockpiles that offer a buffer for several months. For most Southeast Asian nations, those stockpiles would likely only last for a few weeks.
The need to strengthen governance
While tech-focused optimism remains high, the widening gap between internal capability and external volatility suggests that confidence alone is not a strategy. True organizational resilience will require boards to bridge this gap by aligning their high levels of technical self-assurance with more robust, long-term leadership frameworks.
“Confidence in today’s leadership is just part of the picture. Even as organizations grow more confident in managing technological risk, a more uncertain geopolitical environment is testing leadership readiness,” said Guy Farrow, partner at Heidrick & Struggles.
“With only half of CEOs and boards confident in their leadership refreshment and succession processes, organizations need to strengthen governance and ensure they are planning effectively for the next generation of leadership.”
