A survey from Stagwell’s research unit NRG has found that 77% of CEOs say the U.S. presidential election will impact their 2025 business strategy.  

The global survey polled 100 CEOs that run companies with 10,000 or more employees.   

CEOs outside of the U.S. were split on which Presidential candidate would boost the global economy (35% selected Harris while 30% selected Trump), while U.S. CEOs favor Trump to boost the global economy (52% vs. 15%).  

CEOs expect trade policy and immigration to be strongly influenced by the election.  

Thirty-five percent of CEOs worldwide identify inflation as the most critical economic issue facing their countries, followed by boosting consumer confidence (30%) and energy prices (25%). 

Global CEOs view both the Gulf Region and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as attractive investment markets.  

Eighty-five percent of CEOs are optimistic about innovation and technology as a force for improving life quality. And 73% are optimistic about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the well-being of citizens in their country.   

Stagwell CEO Mark Penn presented the findings last week at the Future Investment Initiative 2024 Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.