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Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Smartsheet and PwC UK Announce Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Business Transformation at Scale
BELLEVUE, Wash. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Smartsheet, the AI-powered enterprise-grade work management platform, announced a strategic collaboration with PwC UK, a leader in professional services, that will empower PwC's clients to streamline complex business transformation initiatives with Smartsheet technology. The relationship, which was detailed today at the Smartsheet Summit in London, is launching with a strong pipeline of enterprises, including the UK's largest transportation infrastructure organisation, and will initially focus on the UK Public Sector and Financial Services markets. 'At Smartsheet, we empower enterprises to achieve more by transforming how work gets done,' said Eva Schoenleitner, Vice President, Worldwide Partnerships, Smartsheet. 'The collaboration with PwC marks a significant milestone in delivering on that promise. Share Through this collaboration, PwC will apply its deep industry expertise to help its clients leverage Smartsheet's platform, which manages projects, programmes, and processes at scale, to achieve their business objectives. By combining Smartsheet's secure, scalable platform with PwC's advisory services, clients will gain enhanced agility, foster seamless collaboration, and streamline critical project management processes across diverse industries. 'At Smartsheet, we empower enterprises to achieve more by transforming how work gets done,' said Eva Schoenleitner, Vice President, Worldwide Partnerships, Smartsheet. 'The collaboration with PwC marks a significant milestone in delivering on that promise. By leveraging Smartsheet's powerful capabilities, we enable PwC to help their clients build sophisticated project and portfolio management solutions that drive efficiency and clarity. Our collaboration will accelerate productivity and drive meaningful change for organisations navigating complex transformations.' 'Organisations today really are under tremendous pressure to respond to fast-moving disruption, demonstrate agility in the way they solve problems and bring intelligence, not pretty pictures, to decision-makers,' said Michael Cooch, Partner, Global Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Lead for PwC. 'In our latest CEO Survey, nearly half of business leaders said their companies won't be viable in a decade without fundamental transformation. Our work with Smartsheet brings a powerful and flexible set of tools directly into the hands of our clients, giving them the structure, visibility and decision-support that they're desperate for to drive real transformation. It's a great collaboration that can enable businesses to turn strategy into action—confidently and at scale.' This strategic collaboration underscores Smartsheet's and PwC's commitment to driving innovation and delivering global, transformative outcomes for enterprises. About Smartsheet Smartsheet is an AI-powered, enterprise-grade modern work management platform trusted by companies across the globe, including more than 85% of the Fortune 500. The category pioneer and market leader, Smartsheet delivers powerful solutions fueling performance and driving the next wave of innovation. Visit to learn more. About PwC At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We're a network of firms in 149 countries with more than 370,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fortune's Spring 2025 CEO Survey shows increasing pessimism
In today's CEO Daily: Diane Brady on Fortune's CEO Survey. The big story: The recession keeps failing to show up. The markets: Low drama. Analyst notes from Deutsche Bank on China, EY on consumer sentiment, and Macquarie and Convera on the dollar. Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. Good morning. We just released our Spring 2025 Fortune CEO Survey, in collaboration with Deloitte, showing a dramatic drop in optimism compared with the survey we conducted in November. About 60% of CEOs were optimistic about their company's performance when polled in April, vs. 84% in November. Pessimism about the global economy rose to 58% from 18% just after Trump's victory. Deloitte U.S. CEO Jason Girzadas joined me for a virtual roundtable with other CEOs yesterday to discuss their strategies. With uncertainty high, Girzadas noted, being agile and adaptable is a more important skill in leaders than the ability to predict what's next. Among the top priorities cited by leaders in our survey: supply-chain mobilization, increased investment in AI and a continued focus on managing costs. 'We're seeing a simplification of the agenda on management teams with the focus on a few critical priorities,' he said. 'You have to be responsive in the short term but given all these forces of change, the opportunity for rethinking business models writ large is there.' Here are edited highlights from some of the CEOs who joined us: Dave Bozeman, CH Robinson. 'We have over 83,000 customers. Not all of them are able to move product forward. Some automotive systems were designed for years to be just-in-time. With the 90-day pause, we have seen an uptick right away in people starting to move product from China. There's been a flurry of activity. You have to be calm, measured, and data-driven, driving a good lean operating model with technology.' Scott Boatwright, . 'You're balancing what's right for the company, the consumer, as well as for earnings. We are all beholden in public companies to the investor and we have to manage the expectations of the constituents that have invested in this brand ... The consumer is in a good place today, but fear is at an all-time high. We have 130,000 team members, 52% of whom are Hispanic. While we e-verify every team member, they have friends or family members who could be facing ramifications from what this administration hopes to accomplish, whether that's job loss or potential deportation. It's important as leaders and organizations to help support them.' Christina Kosmowski, LogicMonitor. 'Middle management are the ones carrying this every day. They're the connective tissue to the frontline workforce, and they're burnt out. I think a lot about how are we helping them and enabling them. AI is not being executed as fast as everyone thought it could and I think that's because of this middle layer.' Himanshu Palsule, Cornerstone. 'This change to the future of work has been in the making for five to 10 years, and in some ways I'm glad it's getting forced to a decision now. Everything around you is changing, and it's going to change even faster: business models, pricing, supply chains, how things are procured, how things are sold. There is now a new virtual reality of AI.' Padraig McDonnell, Agilent. 'We're doubling down on innovation because that's going to fuel growth as customers need new technologies. We're asymmetrically investing in some innovation projects right now so we can come out of this stronger.' John Lee, . 'We're kind of ground zero for the trade wars. The tariffs added a whole other level of uncertainty and running around. We have teams of people trying to figure out first, can we comply? And then how do we mitigate for the short term.' Cid Wilson, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. 'Attacks on DEI are pushing companies to do things that may not be consistent with their corporate values. And the employees are seeing this. When you come into the office, you're bringing everything that we're hearing with you. And this has an impact on productivity.' There are areas of optimism in the survey, too, so check it out. Next week, I'll bring you insights from a CEO dinner cohosted by Chrissy Taylor of Enterprise Mobility in her home in St. Louis. If you'd like to participate in these CEO gatherings, reach out to Sarah Worob at More news below. Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at This story was originally featured on
Zawya
10-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
CEOs in Sub-Saharan Africa believe the future looks bright: PwC 2025 Global CEO Survey
The PwC 2025 Global CEO Survey has revealed that 63% of CEOs in Sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly optimistic about the future of the global economy. At the same time, half (50%) of this cohort have entered new sectors in the past five years in an effort to embrace reinvention more aggressively, which demonstrates a greater appetite for transformation and strategic diversification. These are some of the key findings emerging from PwC's 28th Annual Global CEO Survey: Sub-Saharan Africa perspective report. Dion Shango, PwC Africa CEO, says: "Today's competitive business environment is characterised by a multitude of significant factors. Among them is the imperative for leaders to adapt to emerging technologies and reinvent their business model. "CEOs are under immense pressure to keep their organisations viable, and for many in Africa, they have earned their stripes handling complex challenges. This has highlighted their unique resilience and given them a competitive edge in today's global market. Under the theme 'From resilience to reinvention', our CEO Survey highlights these crucial insights from leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa and shows that their resilience has blossomed into something more powerful—optimism." Growing confidence There is evidently increasing economic optimism across Sub-Saharan Africa as 63% of CEOs on the continent are expecting improved global economic growth over the next 12 months. This is compared to 58% globally, and marks a 12% increase year-on-year when only 51% of the region's CEOs shared this outlook the previous year. Lullu Krugel, PwC South Africa chief economist and Africa sustainability leader, says: 'This upward shift in confidence ... suggests that these business leaders see clear opportunities ahead, setting a positive foundation for their own business strategies and growth plans. Sub-Saharan Africa's optimism about global economic growth is also being driven by several key factors — among them are declining interest rates, a downward trend in inflation, improved energy security and fuel exports.' CEOs are also increasingly focusing on the factors that will drive their economic viability in the coming years. Almost two-thirds (64%) identified making the correct strategic choices and enhancing organisational efficiency as the factors that will most influence their businesses' economic viability. This is notably higher than their global counterparts, where 55% and 48% respectively shared this view. What remains a significant concern for 57% of these CEOs is potential changes in the regulatory environment — higher than the global average of 42%. Reinvention vital As global forces reshape the business landscape, Sub-Saharan Africa business leaders find themselves at a critical point. They are being driven to reinvent their business models due to several crucial factors — these include ensuring business viability, adaptation to disruption and key megatrends, and navigating key business and risk challenges. Hannelie Gilmour, PwC South Africa consulting and transformation platform leader, says: 'Business model reinvention goes beyond incremental changes and improvements or strategies. It is about fundamentally transforming the core elements that drive an organisation's business model, including their value proposition, profit formula, products and services, capabilities, processes and resources.' Business leaders on the continent do face a distinct set of challenges that set them apart from their global counterparts. The survey reveals that regional business leaders believe they are at a higher exposure to certain critical risks, with inflation emerging as a paramount concern. A striking 42% of CEOs report feeling vulnerable to inflationary pressures — significantly higher than the global average of 27%. However, the challenge landscape extends beyond economic concerns as these business leaders also feel elevated exposure to other critical risks: one in four CEOs in Sub-Saharan Africa feel vulnerable to cyber threats, workforce skill gaps and geopolitical conflicts — each surpassing the global average. Despite these key challenges, 61% of CEOs are confident in their businesses' long-term viability, projecting sustainability beyond the next decade. 'This figure not only surpasses the global average of 55% but also represents a dramatic increase from the previous year's 40%,' says Olufemi Osinubi, PwC Nigeria consulting and risk services leader. 'This surge in confidence suggests that Sub-Saharan Africa business leaders are not merely acknowledging challenges, but actively embracing transformation as a pathway to future success.' AI uptake Businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa are showing slightly lower AI adoption rates compared to global figures (75% vs. 83% globally). Despite this, PwC impact data shows encouraging signs of effective implementation. Business leaders are seeing notable gains in efficiency, with 56% reporting increased employee productivity and 53% noting improvements in executive time management — both comparable to or exceeding global benchmarks. A majority of regional business leaders (72%) plan to adopt or expand their AI initiatives in the next 12 months (compared to 80% globally), and this is being done as they project meaningful returns: 45% expect AI to increase profitability in the coming year. Christiaan Nel, PwC Africa AI leader, says: 'Sub-Saharan Africa business leaders are taking a balanced approach to AI adoption and moving purposefully rather than rushing to match global adoption rates. "The data shows that they are achieving comparable or better efficiency gains when AI tools are implemented, and this suggests that AI is being integrated thoughtfully into existing transformation initiatives. This strategic approach should always align with an organisation's broader business reinvention efforts — and for it to have the best chances of being successful, trust in these AI solutions will be paramount." Strategic sustainability planning Today's business operating environment demands business leaders to integrate their climate impact goals into their strategic planning. Leaders who neglect this aspect risk compromising the long-term growth and viability of their organisations. Sub-Saharan Africa CEOs and their global counterparts show distinct patterns in how they approach climate initiatives, particularly in compensation structures and investment decisions. While 32% of global CEOs have no sustainability metrics tied to their compensation, this figure was significantly lower (23%) for CEOs in Sub-Saharan Africa. More notably, 9% of business leaders in the region have more than 50% of their compensation linked to sustainability metrics, compared to 4% globally. 'This suggests a stronger structural emphasis on sustainability goals for Sub-Saharan African businesses,' Krugel says. 'Beyond this, companies in the region also appear to lag slightly behind in climate-friendly investments, with 78% initiating such investments over the past five years compared to 85% globally.' Krugel says this conservative approach could be due to the fact that only around a third of regional CEOs (32%) reported seeing increased revenue from climate-friendly initiatives. 'Government incentives have remained largely unchanged, with 69% of companies reporting minimal impact in this area,' she adds. Change is inevitable - growth is optional As CEOs contemplate the next year, PwC says it hopes that they do so taking away a critical insight from this report — that the distinction between surviving and thriving in the next decade does not lie in whether organisations face disruption, but in how they respond to it. 'The most forward-thinking CEOs in Sub-Saharan Africa are already embracing this reality and recognising that today's challenges demand more than incremental solutions — they require fundamental transformation,' Shango says. 'For these leaders, the focus has shifted from managing uncertainty to harnessing it as a catalyst for change.' The window for action, however, is narrowing. Whether addressing climate change, technological disruption or market volatility, the opportunity lies in viewing these challenges not as obstacles to overcome, but as platforms for innovation and growth. Organisations that have yet to embark on their transformation journey must move with urgency as the future belongs to those who can turn today's complexities into tomorrow's competitive advantages. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
