Female Leaders Embrace Disruption, Trust Data and are Realistic About Future Growth: KPMG International

Berlin (ots/PRNewswire) -

- 77 percent see technological disruption as more of an opportunity
than a threat.
- 58 percent have made strategic decisions based on data-driven
insights - rather than overlooking the data based on intuition.
- 77 percent are confident about the growth potential for their
company.
- But only 28 percent see their next career step within their
existing company.

KPMG's first Global Female Leaders (GFLs) study shows female
business executives are well-prepared for the challenges of the
digital age, with more than three-quarters (77 percent) seeing
technological disruption as more of an opportunity than a threat.
Half of GFLs (51 percent) believe their company to be the disruptor
of their sector, rather than being disrupted by competitors. This
finding, among others, presents a striking contrast to the recently
launched KPMG 2018 Global CEO Outlook, where only 15 percent of the
respondents were female (reflecting the current under-representation
of women in CEO roles). But there are also differences with a
majority of GFLs (77 percent) who are very confident about growth
potential for their company, down from 90 percent of their largely
male counterparts.

"Digital transformation begins with a comprehensive understanding
of our clients' current and future needs," said Susan Ferrier, Global
Head of People, KPMG International. "The Global Female Leaders
interviewed appear strongly positioned to drive growth and
profitability for their companies."

Comfortable with digitalization, technology and data

- 93 percent see the need to improve innovation processes and
execution over the next 3 years.
- 77 percent will increase usage of predictive data models/analytics.
- 58 percent have made strategic decisions based on data-driven
insights - rather than overlooking the data based on intuition over
the last 3 years.
- 48 percent feel comfortable with new technologies like AI,
blockchain, mixed reality and 3-D printing.
- Only 21 percent of GFLs think that their board of directors has an
unreasonable expectation regarding return on investment related to
digital transformation projects. In comparison, 55 percent of
respondents to CEO Outlook believe this to be true.

"Digital transformation offers unlimited opportunities for
businesses," explains Angelika Huber-Straßer, Head of Corporates at
KPMG in Germany. "However, the speed in which decisions have to be
made, for example, in response to customer expectations, is
constantly increasing. Female leaders possess the skills and the
strength to lead their companies through these disruptive and
exciting times."

Largely optimistic about growth potential, growth strategies and
headcount

- 73 percent expect top-line revenue growth over 2 percent, while
only 17 percent expect less than 2 percent; compared to more than
half (55 percent) of their largely male counterparts who do not
expect more than 2 percent top-line growth.
- As for growth strategies, GFLs have their sights set on organic
growth, with 45 percent seeing it as the best growth strategy. In
comparison, the CEO Outlook finding is 28 percent for organic
growth, second to strategic alliances at 33 percent.
- These results are aligned with expectations for headcount growth,
with 33 percent of GFLs indicating an increase by 6 percent or
more, compared to 37 percent of CEOs.
- However, GFLs are more cautious when it comes to the impact of AI
on headcount with only 47 percent saying that it will create more
jobs than it will eliminate. In comparison, 62 percent of CEOs said
the same.

Confident about success factors, quotas and expectations

GFLs are agile and know their strengths; however, they still see
the need for cultural changes in order to support gender equality.

- Only 28 percent see their next career step within their existing
company.
- Eight in 10 (83 percent) see enablement programs for women as a
good means of bringing more females into leadership positions. This
despite the fact that, when asked for their personal success
factors, female leadership quotas were cited as being the least
relevant (4 percent).
- Strong personal networks and good communication skills are the top
two most important factors cited for personal success.

Ferrier adds, "Women's voices are essential in bringing a more
diverse and inclusive perspective. The Global Female Leaders
interviewed understand that leadership in the digital age must
embrace diverse workforces to achieve enhanced business performance."

About KPMG's 2018 Inaugural Global Female Leaders Outlook

The survey covers 699 Global Female Leaders from 42 countries and
from 14 industry sectors. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents
come from companies that have more than US$500M in annual revenue,
the others (62 percent) come from companies with under US$500M. The
online survey was conducted between 6 March and 13 April 2018. NOTE:
Some figures may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Click for more details on the Global CEO Outlook and the Global
Female Leaders Outlook, http://www.kpmg.com/ceooutlook or
http://www.kpmg.com/gflo.

About KPMG

KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing
Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 154 countries and
territories and have 200,000 people working in member firms around
the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are
affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG
International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct
and separate entity and describes itself as such.

Europe and Asia:

Brian Bannister

KPMG International

+44(0)-7919-393753

Brian.Bannister@kpmg.co.uk

Americas:

Amy Greenshields

KPMG International

+1-416-777-8749

amygreenshields@kpmg.ca

ots Originaltext: KPMG International LLP
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Original-Content von: KPMG International LLP, übermittelt durch news aktuell