28th CEO Survey: UAE findings

UAE chief executives have ambitious plans for 2025. As they map out a vision for greater value creation and growth, they are making bold, strategic choices - deeply integrating AI and GenAI into processes and operations to drive better outcomes and sharpen their competitive edge in a far more dynamic and competitive environment. While confident in their companies’ revenue growth in 2025, and with plans to increase headcount, they are also mindful of industry lines blurring and are keen to move quickly and innovatively in the search for new domains of growth.

Confidence in growth, despite a diverse risk agenda

CEOs in the UAE are the most optimistic regionally about their domestic economic prospects. Four out of five anticipate GDP growth in 2025, while a significant 90% also expect increases in their company’s revenue growth. A further 60% are planning to increase headcount and expand their workforce during the same period (vs. 42% globally). 

Digital transformation has played a huge role in the UAE’s advancement in recent years, and the country has invested significantly in emerging technologies for economic progress as it continues to diversify. In 2024 the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence was launched to build a future where AI empowers every sector, improving quality of life in the emirate. ¹

The UAE has also strengthened its position as a global hub for emerging technologies and has been able to secure major partnerships with leading global players. Its business-friendly environment with initiatives such as the golden visa and retirement schemes, continues to attract talent from across the world, further cementing this position. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently indicated UAE's gross domestic product (GDP) rising to 5.1% in 2025,² reflecting the country’s economic resilience.

However, there are areas of concern for the UAE’s business leaders. More than a third of CEOs (38%) indicated cyber risks as the top threat they are most exposed to – similar to their peers in the wider GCC - followed by technological disruption (28%) and a lack of key skills in the workforce (25%).

The urgency to reinvent, driven by AI and climate change 

Against this backdrop of continued confidence, CEOs across the region are also dealing with the twin forces of AI and climate change, which are propelling the drive for reinvention to remain future-ready. Nearly half of CEOs in the UAE believe they will need to adapt their businesses in 10 years or less to remain viable. Recognising the urgency to reinvent, the UAE’s business leaders have been more proactive over the last five years than their global peers in developing new products and services (55% vs. 38% globally), targeting new customer bases (48% vs. 31% globally), collaborating with other organisations (48% vs. 26% globally) and planning new routes to market (35% vs. 26% globally).

Q. If your company continues running on its current path, for how long do you think your business will be economically viable?

AI is a key catalyst accelerating innovation and, encouraged by the UAE’s leadership championing the early adoption of AI across industries, an impressive 93% of CEOs in the UAE have adopted GenAI in the last 12 months - higher than their counterparts in the region and globally.

Over the past 12 months, business leaders in the UAE who incorporated GenAI into their business models reported substantial benefits. 70% experienced increased efficiencies in their own time at work, while 65% saw similar improvements in their employees’ productivity. Additionally, 46% of CEOs in the UAE noted revenue growth and more than half (51%) reported increased profitability, underlining the transformative potential of GenAI in driving operational and financial performance.

Looking ahead, two thirds of UAE CEOs expect GenAI to boost profitability within the next year, significantly outpacing the expectations of their global counterparts. Over the next three years, 93% of CEOs plan to integrate AI into their technology platforms, 88% into business processes and 83% into the development of new products and services, leveraging AI to strengthen their competitive advantage.

Climate-friendly investments

The UAE’s commitment to decarbonisation has seen it successfully double its renewable energy capacity between 2019 and 2022, and the nation is on track to triple it by 2030, aligning with the targets set forth during COP28. Its leadership continues to foster significant investment in clean energy – key projects, such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the Al Khazna photovoltaic projects in Abu Dhabi, and the Dubai Waste-to-Energy project and the hydroelectric power plant in Hatta showcase its commitment towards achieving its energy transition targets.³ The UAE has also recently inked green energy deals with Italy and Albania, championing the need for global interconnectivity in driving decarbonisation, increasing energy access and boosting economic growth. ⁴ 

Along with other GCC nations, the UAE is also taking steps to encourage climate-friendly investment⁵. Our research suggests that green investments in six major non-oil sectors in the GCC, including transport, power, and construction, could unlock up to US$2 trillion in cumulative GDP contribution and create more than a million jobs by 2030⁶. These national efforts have inspired UAE business leaders to act.

Our survey reveals that 83% of CEOs in the UAE have initiated climate-friendly investments over the past five years, reflecting their alignment with the country’s vision and commitment to sustainable growth. Notably, nearly 50% of UAE CEOs reported that these investments have directly increased business revenue - significantly higher than the global average of 33%, highlighting the tangible financial benefits of sustainable practices.

And when it comes to making these climate-friendly investments, 25% of chief executives in the UAE have accepted lower rates of return – the highest proportion among their regional peers. This willingness to prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term returns highlights their forward-thinking approach - carefully balancing profitability with environmental responsibility for a more sustainable future.

Industry convergence and the reinvention agenda

One of the major consequences of digital disruption has been the blurring of more traditionally siloed industry boundaries ⁷. In the UAE, this is most evident in partnerships between banking and technology companies, healthcare and emerging tech, and automotive and tech players coming together, reflecting a dynamic new paradigm of innovation and growth.

Almost half (43%) of UAE CEOs say that in the past five years, their company has started competing in sectors or industries that they were not previously involved in (compared to 38% of CEOs globally). Looking ahead, deals are also top priority for UAE business leaders as they explore different sectors in search of new domains of growth, with 63% of CEOs planning to make at least one acquisition over the next three years.

CEOs in the UAE can set reinvention plans on a course for success if they:

• Double down on transformation plans, continue to further AI adoption, and build robust cybersecurity frameworks. Enhancing cyber resilience will be critical to navigating emerging threats in this area. To achieve this, business leaders in the emirates must carry the discussion around cybersecurity from their IT and security teams to the boardroom, to make it a strategic organisational priority. Additionally, building a culture of cyber preparedness across all levels of the organisation will be essential to sustaining trust in the age of AI.

• Build on the momentum to develop talent and build national capability. Promote initiatives such as internships and industry placements through public-private partnerships. Simultaneously, attract global talent by implementing reforms and offering flexible work arrangements, including remote work opportunities. Critically, CEOs need to ensure that they are developing the key skills needed for a future-ready workforce, and to maintain their competitive edge.

• Integrate climate-friendly investments into business strategies with an emphasis on driving long-term value, even if this means accepting lower rates of return in the short term. Join forces with public and private sector stakeholders to advance regulatory standards for sustainable finance that can drive the net-zero agenda, unlock funding for sustainable projects and support the development of resilient, sustainable business models.

• Embrace industry convergence and explore opportunities to collaborate. Partner with innovators in emerging sectors to expand portfolios and accelerate diversification. Develop new investment models focused on corporate diversification to address critical challenges and opportunities as industry lines blur, and competition increases in the search for new domains of value.