Three out of four CEOs in the CEE region project that global economic growth will slow over the next 12 months. These expectations represent a sharp reversal from 2022 when two out of three CEOs foresaw an improvement, according to PwC’s Annual CEO Survey. Despite their gloom about macro conditions, CEOs in the region are nevertheless quite confident when it comes to things they can directly control: they are more bullish than the global average on their own company’s revenue growth prospects over the next 12 months, with 46 per cent saying they’re “extremely confident”. Russia’s war on Ukraine and growing concern about geopolitical instability have caused CEOs to rethink aspects of their business models and the way they perceive risk. While in comparison to the 2022 findings, cyber risks have slipped down the list of regional and global business leaders’ threat priorities (20 per cent said this is the top threat), the picture changes for their five-year outlook. Over that timeframe, cyber risks join inflation, macroeconomic volatility, and geopolitical conflict in the top tier of risk exposure. Adam Krasoń, CEO of PwC in Central and Eastern Europe, speaks with Andrew Wrobel about where emerging Europe’s CEOs are looking for growth opportunities, how they are responding to short- and long-term threats, and about the region’s sustainable growth. They also talk about the role of digital transformation in the region’s future as 45 per cent of all CEOs taking part in the survey don’t think their companies will be economically viable if they continue on their current path. Adam Krasoń will be hosting a live PwC CEE webcast on Friday, March 17, at 10:30. The webcast will present results from the CEO Survey and a panel discussion moderated by Kasia Madera, BBC World, will look at the role of CEE executives in addressing the tough challenges faced by our societies. Register here.