Leading a business today has hardly become easier. The pace of change is high in a world where technological shifts, geopolitical disruption and new regulations are contributing to increased complexity. But perhaps the answer is not always more information or more advice. In our conversations with CEOs and leaders at CxO level, we are seeing growing interest in something else: the opportunity to regularly exchange perspectives with an experienced person who can act as a kind of mentor and qualified sounding board outside one’s own organisation. Not to discuss specific decisions or be given the answer, but to broaden one’s field of vision and develop one’s own way of thinking and leading. Not because senior leaders lack competence or need someone else to make decisions for them. Rather, it is about the value of gaining access to another experienced person’s perspective; someone who can challenge established ways of thinking, ask different questions and contribute with experiences from other contexts.

In our conversations with boards and owners, we are seeing an increasingly clear trend. Considerable energy is invested in recruiting the optimal CEO in terms of profile, but often less attention is paid to what happens after, and during, the CEO’s transition into the role. At the same time, expectations for rapid results are increasing in an ever-changing world. The question is therefore not only how to recruit the optimal business leader, but, more importantly: how to create the conditions for the CEO to succeed from day one.

Resilience in defence is no longer about systems and hierarchy. Nordic leaders argue it now rests on human judgement, trust, and adaptability.

Leadership in 2026 is no longer linear. Five forces, from people-centred performance to AI identity, will define how Nordic leaders navigate the year.