New issues were included in the survey to help understand the CEOs’ views on dynamics of companies’ development in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. KPMG initially surveyed 1,300 CEOs in January and February, before many key markets were beginning to feel the full impact of lockdowns. Then, in July and early August, KPMG conducted a follow-up survey of 315 CEOs to understand how their thinking has evolved. In either case, all respondents stated that their annual income exceeded USD 500 million, and one third of them reported annual income of more than USD 10 billion.

“Today, we are truly experiencing a unique time when in many respects an uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is the only certainty. And managements of each and every company in the world are facing the challenging task - to run business under conditions of such uncertainty. Recovery of business activity does not mean a return to the old 'normal’. Instead, we now have a unique opportunity to shape the new reality where sustainable development efforts pursuing green growth strategies, digital transformation requiring a deep understanding of customer experience in the new reality, a revised recruitment strategy and talent retention, as well as employees’, customers’ and the local community’s confidence-building are of crucial importance,” Saken Zhumashev, Managing Partner of KPMG in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, comments.

The main conclusions of the study can be found at: https://bit.ly/2G99Crs