A survey conducted by ANK Reputation presents the perspectives of leaders of some of the largest companies in the country on what will drive business in the coming months. The survey “Senior leadership priorities for 2025” also sheds light on the role of reputation in corporate strategy, especially in these times of global and disruptive transformations. Below are the main topics of the study, which involved the participation of more than a hundred businesspeople, board members, CEOs and C-Level executives from 13 segments of the economy, with the majority of the sample coming from organizations with revenues of more than R$1 billion.
Survey Highlights
- The priority for 2025 is people development and management.
- Technological updates and digital transformation are relevant in projects across all segments.
- Reputation has a high positive impact on key areas of the business.
- Misconduct by leaders and employees is the second most cited risk in the survey.
- The majority believe they are only partially prepared to face risks.
- 80% of survey participants expect a better year than 2024.
- In the year of COP 30, attention to ESG is among the least mentioned fronts.
People development and management is the number one priority for taking advantage of opportunities and facing this year's challenges – largely resulting from technological transformations with a high impact on business, according to a study conducted by ANK Reputation with senior management from some of the country's most influential companies. The second most mentioned priority for 2025 is technological and production process updates, followed by digital transformation.
Reputation and brand are the fourth most mentioned strategic fronts of the business that will be the focus of companies in the coming months. M&A processes and the search for investors for the business are also part of projects for 2025, in fifth place in terms of number of mentions, according to the survey.
“Technological updating will increasingly be an imperative for business survival, and leadership recognizes the urgency of having the right people, in the right places, to make the transformation happen.”
Anik Suzuki,
Founder and CEO of ANK Reputation
2025 will be better than 2024
Despite identifying a challenging macroeconomic context, partly associated with national economic policy and international conflicts, 80% of the participants state that 2025 will be a better year than 2024 for their companies. The favorable outlook is supported by movements and initiatives such as increasing resilience to risks and investments in new products.
Positive impact of reputation on business
Leaders assess that reputation, considering the trust and admiration of the public, has a high impact on key areas of companies' survival. Among 10 areas listed in the survey, the positive impact of reputation is most perceived in repurchase by customers, followed by attracting new customers.
A management of sensitive issues and crises, thirdly, is also one of the most benefited by the positive reputation of companies – an indication that leaders realize the importance of the reputational cushion, built in advance, to mitigate negative exposure to their audiences. In the view of leaders, reputation also has a high positive impact on recruitment and selection of people and in the press relations.
The biggest risks
The high potential for risks related to cybersecurity and data processing are the main concerns of those consulted in the study, receiving the highest number of mentions. It is noteworthy that misconduct and unethical behavior by leaders and employees rank second among the risks mentioned, in addition to other contemporary issues: polarization of society, cancel culture, misinformation and fake news also received a significant number of mentions.
What keeps you awake at night
The survey also reveals what is keeping C-Level executives awake at night this year. Among the reasons cited are the excessive number of topics related to technology, difficulty in retaining new generation talent, tax reform and the economic scenario. In the year of COP 30, ESG strategy and actions are among the areas with the lowest number of mentions, although some respondents mentioned topics on this agenda as one of their concerns.
Warning: There is no middle ground in crisis management
The study also provides an important warning to all organizations, since most responded that their companies are partially prepared for adequate risk and crisis management. Anik Suzuki, founder and CEO of ANK Reputation, warns: “There is no middle ground in crisis management.” And she warns: “Either you are prepared to avoid and/or mitigate the losses of a crisis or you are not and, therefore, you are taking a risk that can cost your organization dearly, very dearly.”
Maturity of companies in reputation (in % of mentions)
Source: ANK Survey
