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Once CEOs identify trends, company board members should also listen. New research from the 3rd Oliver Wyman Forum CEO's Agenda Research shows that over the next two years, more CEOs will consider using mergers and acquisitions to accelerate their companies' growth. The report surveyed 415 CEOs representing approximately 10 percent of global market capitalization and revealed key insights into several areas where boards need to work closely with CEOs to keep their organizations competitive in one of the most volatile environments in recent years. According to the report, “CEOs are focused on acquisitions, with 94% of executives planning mergers and…

Research reveals CEOs are considering M&A – Is the board ready? – Corporate Director Skip to content As more CEOs consider mergers and acquisitions, here are some questions boards should consider. Once CEOs identify trends, company board members should also listen. New research from the 3rd Oliver Wyman Forum CEO's Agenda Research shows that over the next two years, more CEOs will consider using mergers and acquisitions to accelerate their companies' growth. The report surveyed 415 CEOs representing approximately 10 percent of global market capitalization and revealed key insights into several areas where boards need to work closely…

Last week, in a new business meeting with management, someone said, “We just need to get smarter about AI.” It meant what most teams meant: faster reporting, better answers, fewer meetings, and efficiency checklists. That's fine. That's not an advantage either. In the world of AI + data, “smart” has become commoditized and averaged out. When intelligence becomes rich, it stops being a differentiator and becomes practical. Just like with bandwidth, just having Wi-Fi doesn't mean you'll win. Your business wins by what you can do because you have it. So the question used to be, “Where can we automate?”…

The 2026 Director Thinking Survey and the latest Director Confidence Index survey results were both conducted by Ltd. corporate director and the Diligent Institute show that directors are moving towards more sustainable and forward-looking governance, although a gap between ambition and practice remains. Meanwhile, 84% of the more than 200 public company board members surveyed as part of the 2026 Board Mindset program said their boards have changed their approach to scenario planning over the past five years, expanding the scope and breadth of scenarios, increasing the amount of time they spend on scenarios, and bringing more voices into the…

Before boards can effectively oversee change, they need clear answers to the most fundamental questions, says CeCe Moken, a board member at Wells Fargo, Genpact and DailyPay who has led digital businesses from an operational perspective. “What problem are we solving for our customers? Even if it's an internal change like implementing a new enterprise system, our customers are our employees. So I always ask myself, with everything: What problem are we solving and how do we know if we can build a lasting advantage?”Cynthia “Cindy” Jamison, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Darden Restaurants and Chair of the…

In 2022, the President and the Secretary of the Treasury asked me to lead the IRS through the “largest technology-enabled transformation” in IRS history. The agency received significant new funding, debuted practical applications of genetic AI, and opened new possibilities for modernization. As a result, the IRS received numerous proposals from emerging AI solution vendors, but questions remained about how AI fits into our reforms. Because our funding came directly from taxpayer dollars, all AI projects had to make a measurable difference to the people we serve. While much of this research was still in its infancy during my tenure,…

While General Motors boasts more than a century of engineering triumph, modern factory miracles and earnest investment in electrification of its vehicles, it’s Tesla that commands the mindshare, share price and cultural imagination of customers and investors alike. The reason? Tesla didn’t just engineer a better automobile. It engineered a new market—and a new story. GM is a paragon of manufacturing, supply chain and product adaptation. It was arguably first to mass-produce affordable electrics in America (Chevy Volt, Bolt). Yet, GM’s EV market share lags far behind, its press remains “legacy” focused, and its share price gain over a decade…

Change efforts fail more often than they succeed. Not sometimes. Not under extreme conditions. Not without warnings or clarifications. They fail routinely and frequently. Businesses continue to invest trillions of dollars in change initiatives, yet the results remain largely unchanged. Change efforts fail not only because of inefficiency. They are a waste of human potential and leave tissue scar tissue that reduces both appetite and future adaptability. However, transformation doesn't have to be a gamble. in How change actually works (Harvard Business Review Press), authors Julia Dahl, Christy R. Elmer, and Philip Jameson reveal how leaders can greatly increase their…

The U.S.-China economic contest has entered a new phase, and every CEO in America is feeling it. Tariff escalations, export controls on critical materials, rare earth restrictions, retaliatory moves—all unfolding at a pace that makes quarterly planning feel like guesswork. Ram Charan, who has spent six decades advising the world’s largest corporations and their boards, argues that what most leaders still frame as a trade dispute is something far more consequential: a structural, economic war with no end in sight— one in which factories are the front lines, currency is the artillery and your supply chain is the terrain being…

Leaders across industries are navigating an environment of diminishing certainty and increasing risk. Higher education provides a particularly clear example of how leadership adapts under such circumstances. Today's enrollment leaders face declining populations, financial burdens, changing consumer expectations, and an evolving regulatory landscape. These influences have led universities to operate more like complex businesses than traditional academic institutions. Leadership in higher education today requires disciplined judgment, corporate alignment, and long-term thinking in the face of constant disruption. The leaders who most effectively navigate this market tend to follow a similar set of practices. 1. Anchor decisions to long-term institutional objectives.…