John H. Rodi is Leader, and David A. Brown is Executive Director, and Patrick A. Lee is Senior Advisor of the Board Leadership Center of KPMG LLP. This post is based on their KPMG memorandum.
Approaching midyear, business leaders are bullish on growth and the opportunities ahead. Some 87 percent of US CEOs are highly confident in the growth prospects of the US economy, 78 percent are highly confident in the growth of their company, and most expect to increase headcount over the next year.[1] At the same time, the macro forces of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), climate change, a multipolar geopolitical landscape, and the erosion of trust and healthy public discourse are sobering the outlook and prompting deeper boardroom conversations about risk and strategy, talent, and what the future will look like for the company, corporate America, and the country.
The following observations and insights—based on our ongoing work with directors and recent conversations with business leaders and luminaries at the 2024 KPMG Board Leadership Conference[2] —may be helpful as boards calibrate their agendas for the second half of 2024.
