Aligning the PwC 27th CEO Survey with BusinessGPS.ai

SMB Reinvention Powered by Athena

Reference: PwC’s 27th Annual Global CEO Survey (2024)
Link: Read Full Report 

As PwC’s landmark survey reveals, global CEOs are under growing pressure to reinvent, digitize, and lead through uncertainty. With 45% expressing doubt about their business’s long-term viability, the need for actionable, efficient, and low-risk transformation strategies has never been clearer—especially for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) constrained by cost, capability, and capacity. 

That’s where BusinessGPS.ai comes in.
We’ve engineered a practical, AI-augmented framework combining: 

• The Opportunity-to-Operations (O2O) business model; The change focused opportunity to operations business model ensures your change capability switches from biggest constraint to competitive advantage 

• The leadership-as-a-service avatars that guide SMB boards and delivery teams in all thing's digital transformation  

• And the Athena Executive Success Map, a free digital strategy assessment avatar that helps leaders benchmark, plan, and activate smarter transformation. 

We asked Athena to analyse the PwC survey and provide a perspective on how she can help SMB leaders address these crucial points for future success. 

🔍 Theme 1: Reinvention & External Pressure 

1. Long‑Term Viability & Reinvention Impetus

• Score: 9/10 
• • Overview: 45% of CEOs doubt their survival beyond 10 years pwc.ie+4pwc.com+4pwc.com+4. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: Focused O2O roadmap reduces waste from ad‑hoc initiatives. 

• • Capability: Athena avatars guide SMB boards on future‑proof strategies. 

• • Capacity: Structured planning avoids overextension. 

• • Outcome‑based: Ensures transformation hits KPIs tied to viability. 

2. Pressure from Megatrends (Tech, Climate, Customers)

• Score: 8/10 
• • Overview: CEOs report more pressure from tech and climate over next 3 years realestatebalance.org+2pwc.com+2nineoclock.ro+2. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: Dynamic resource reallocation avoids budgeting for outdated investments. 

• • Capability: CIO avatars bring modern expertise without full‑time hires. 

• • Capacity: AI‑augmented prioritisation prevents overwhelm. 

• • Risk‑managed: Scenario modelling anticipates tech/climate shifts. 

3. Efficiency Drain & Generative AI Promise

• Score: 9/10 
  • Overview: About 40% of CEO time is inefficient; ~60% expect AI efficiency gains pwc.com+10pwc.com+10realestatebalance.org+10. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: AI streamlines workflows, cuts redundancy. 

• • Capability: Athena helps SMBs adopt AI tools with minimal training. 

• • Capacity: Frees up leadership time for strategic focus. 

• • Outcome‑driven: Delivers measurable productivity improvements. 

 

🌍 Theme 2: Sustainability & Resource Reconfiguration 

4. Climate & Sustainability Investment

• Score: 7/10 
  • Overview: Many CEOs take climate‑friendly investments at lower returns pwc.com+4pwc.com+4nineoclock.ro+4. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: O2O process measures ROI on sustainability initiatives. 

• • Capability: Atlis AI advisors support board in climate planning. 

• • Capacity: Framework manages complexity via governance. 

• • Outcome‑aligned: Tethers ESG goals to financial metrics. 

5. Resource Reallocation Constraints

• Score: 8/10 
  • Overview: Two‑thirds of CEOs reallocate ≤20% of resources yearly pwc.com+2pwc.ie+2pwc.com+2pwc.compwc.com+5pwc.com+5nineoclock.ro+5. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: Prioritised investment avoids waste. 

• • Capability: Data‑driven tools guide smarter allocations. 

• • Capacity: Aligned initiatives reduce scope creep. 

• • Outcome‑focussed: Delivers higher ROI per resource dollar. 

6. Navigating Regulatory/Skill Barriers

• Score: 8/10 
  • Overview: Skills shortages, regulatory complexity, and supply‑chain instability hamper reinvention pwc.com+5pwc.com+5pwc.com+5. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: Virtual CIO avatars are cost‑efficient expert access. 

• • Capability: Continuous governance ensures compliance. 

• • Capacity: Lean operations through systemised oversight. 

• • Risk‑mitigated: AI tracks regulatory changes, flags training gaps. 

 

🚀 Theme 3: Technology Adoption & Risk Management 

7. Generative AI Adoption

• Score: 9/10 
  • Overview: ~60–70% expect generative AI to affect competition and models; adoption still limited to ~33% realestatebalance.org+5nineoclock.ro+5pwc.com+5thetimes.co.ukpwc.com. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: Low‑cost tools ramp up AI readiness. 

• • Capability: Athena guides AI integration in key workflows. 

• • Capacity: Phased adoption prevents overwhelm. 

• • Outcome‑based: Ties AI use to specific value metrics. 

8. Cybersecurity & Misinformation Risks

• Score: 8/10 
  • Overview: CEOs flag cyber‑risk increase due to AI pwc.com. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: Embedded risk protocols reduce breach liabilities. 

• • Capability: CIO avatars embed security by design. 

• • Capacity: Alerts and governance tools offload monitoring burden. 

• • Risk‑lessened: Proactive threat detection built‑in. 

9. Strategic Risk Management

• Score: 8/10 
  • Overview: CEOs see value in proactive risk management powered by tech pwc.com+3pwc.com.br+3pwc.com+3pwc.com+1pwc.com+1pwc.com+2pwc.com+2nineoclock.ro+2. 

• Impact: 

• • Cost: O2O identifies and operationalises risk guardrails. 

• • Capability: Board‑level AI avatars benchmark and monitor strategic risks. 

• • Capacity: Control frameworks streamline execution. 

• • Outcome‑anchored: Align ongoing operations to risk appetite. 

 

📊 Summary Table 

#	Focus Area	Score	Positive SMB Impact (Cost, Capability, Capacity)
1	Viability & Reinvention	9/10	Cost‑efficient clarity, future‑proof strategies, avoid overextension
2	Pressure from Megatrends	8/10	Agile forecasting, modern capability infusion, structured capacity deployment
3	AI Efficiency	9/10	Cost savings, AI enablement, time capacity freed, measurable productivity
4	Climate Investment	7/10	ROI measurement, climate capability, governance structures
5	Resource Reallocation	8/10	Optimised budget/capacity, strategic prioritisation
6	Regulatory & Skills Barriers	8/10	Governance via CIO avatars, compliance efficiency
7	GenAI Adoption	9/10	AI readiness, guided integration, outcomes tied to metrics
8	Cyber & Misinformation Risks	8/10	Embedded cybersecurity, proactive governance, reduced breach risk
9	Strategic Risk Management	8/10	Operationalised risk controls, AI‑augmented board oversight

 

🧠 Overall Impact Synopsis 

• Average score across 9 areas: 8.4/10 

• Top strengths: Generative AI adoption, efficiency gains, long‑term viability strategy (scores: 9/10). 

• Improvement areas: Climate investment scored a bit lower due to complexity and cost. 

• General benefit: BusinessGPS’s structured, AI‑enabled O2O model, CIO‑augmented governance, and Athena avatars address SMB constraints effectively—cutting cost, building capability, and managing capacity—while reducing strategic risk and boosting outcome focus. 

By embedding this integrated solution, SMBs achieve scalable transformation aligned to CEO priorities, with enhanced speed, resilience, and ROI. 

 

🚀 Technology related strategy consulting for SMBs redefined 

To get you started right - the hardest part of any journey - Athena Executive success map builds across the business the confidence to start - and continue your journey … 

 

Every CEO now has the opportunity to take control of their transformation journey. 

✅ Get your custom digital strategy diagnosis
✅ Build your personalized Success Map
✅ Understand how your business aligns to the top 9 success drivers from PwC’s CEO report 

All powered by Athena — your executive digital twin and AI strategy coach.
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