Global perspectives for Canadian private companies

Businesses today are facing unprecedented opportunity. Around the world, ever-increasing adoption of technology continues to drive globalization. Yet despite enjoying global reach as never before, Canadian business owners face a familiar challenge: an information vacuum.

Building an effective growth strategy requires insight into what peers, competitors and related businesses are thinking and planning. And as executives know all too well, such information is kept very close to the vest.

Deloitte Private’s inaugural report, Global Perspectives for Private Companies: Plans, priorities, and expectations, changes the dynamic. This detailed report provides a window into the mindset of business leaders across Canada and around the world: where they see opportunity, what they prioritize, what keeps them up at night.

The data revealed within highlights a mood of confidence and optimism across the globe, tempered by uncertainty brought on by changing conditions in key markets. And just as significantly, the findings reveal differences in outlook between Canadian businesses and our global counterparts, which may well impact strategies for growth and, potentially, survival.

Among the most striking, and most urgent findings: Almost twice as many global executives plan to use emerging technologies to facilitate growth as do Canadians – a strong signal that we’re in danger of being left behind.

Similarly, almost half of all global executives expect technological disruption to directly affect their business; a critical reminder that disruption strategy must be pivotal to any future planning.

Business leaders will find the report to be a useful benchmark, a vital early warning system and a way to see forward more clearly than ever – helping to solidify immediate plans and inform successful growth strategies. As Canadians, we’re naturally optimistic. And now we have more data to help us stay that way.