CEO INSIGHTS – Week Ending 28 March 2025

Geopolitics

“My advice to all political leaders is to find a way for global trade, and don’t punish each other because there will be no winners at the end of the day and consumers will also feel it.” Christian Klein, CEO, SAP Group

“So, what lies in store for us in 2025. 2025, I won't lie to you. The wild roaring 20s continue. What is going on geopolitically at the moment…changing conditions all the time, tariffs, isolationism of various epicentres of the economy worldwide.” Thomas Hasler, CEO, SIKA AG [major global specialty chemicals company]

Tariff Inflation

“We're using what we've learned from earlier rounds of tariffs and the pandemic, along with our manufacturing and supply chain footprint to manage our approach in this dynamic environment. To begin, we recently announced a 4.5% list price increase.” Andrea Owen, CEO MillerKnoll Inc [one of the world’s largest furniture companies]

Retail

“Forward orders [for Rip Curl] and in-season buying from key accounts support an improving wholesale trend through 2025. Gross margin is under pressure in the short term for all brands in a highly competitive global market.” Michael Daly, CEO, KMD Brands Inc [owner of Kathmandu and Rip Curl]

Composite Decking

“We are at the very beginning of the wood conversion cycle.” Jesse Singh, CEO, AZEK Co. [major decking company under acquisition offer from James Hardie Plc]

Mining & Energy

“We work in the mining industry. It's littered with people who've lost money, you have to have strong technical skills.” Paul Brink, CEO, Franco-Nevada Corp. [world’s largest gold royalty company]

“Ultimately, different outcomes and different rates of change across energy vectors are possible.” Wael Sawan, CEO, Shell plc.

Packaging

"The transition away from certain materials, plastic as an example, to sustainable products, paper-based products. Those are all trends that are going to continue. And we are going to ride those trends, and we're going to drive those trends." Andrew Silvernail, CEO, International Paper Co [world's largest paper company]

Food & Beverage

“At the same time, we are all witnessing shifts in consumer preferences. They are becoming more health conscious, and this trend has continued to gain momentum. They are cooking at home more often and increasingly shopping the perimeter for protein and produce.” Brendan Foley, CEO, McCormick & Company Inc. [the largest producer of spices and related food products worldwide]

“We continue to see consumer trends evolve and develop across the adult socialising spectrum. Spirits continue to take share from wine and beer, and this is being largely driven by the growing premiumisation of the long mix drink, a drinking trend that allows spirits to be enjoyed on more occasions throughout the day…In addition, we're seeing the trend for drinks with lower ABV [alcohol by volume] and lower calories starting to really gain traction.” Timothy Warrillow, CEO, Fevertree Drinks Plc

Brisbane Olympics

“To deliver a successful Games, we need a smarter, more efficient approach to construction – one that treats it as a team sport, not a battle of bureaucracy.” Jon Davies, CEO, Australian Constructors Association

Kitchens

“So, our factory today in Europe is highly underutilised. On the top of that, most of the sales are replacement driven, which is putting even more pressure on the price side of the equation. Kitchen remains very subdued. We saw kitchen retailers and demand flattening out towards end of 2024, but still in a very depressed market.” Yannick Fierling, CEO, Electrolux AB

Recreational Watercraft

“In [our] counter-seasonal market, it was peak season for personal watercraft and Sea-Doo had a low teen percent decline in APAC [Asia Pacific], slightly outperforming the market that was down mid-teen percent.” Jose Boisjoli, CEO, Bombardier Recreational Products [recreational vehicle conglomerate inc. brands Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo]

Domestic Tech Sector

“There are a number of sectors in Australia that are very focused on this [AI capability], I do think it would be a worthwhile pursuit to continue to grow the capability and technology industry in Australia.” Matt Comyn, CEO, Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd

Livestock

“The demand for beef and lamb [is] very strong in Australia and outside of Australia to export, we are very positive with the cycle of beef in Australia.” Gilberto Tomazoni, CEO, JBS Group [world’s largest meat processor]

Federal Budget

“While the federal budget tries to address some of the most critical issues facing households, such as rising costs of living, it does this through symptomatic relief rather than addressing the root cause of the problems and driving sustainable outcomes.” Rob Scott, CEO, Wesfarmers Ltd