NZ executives more risk-conscious

Nearly 80 per cent of New Zealand executives have changed their approach to risk-taking in the wake of the global financial crisis, according to a global survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers to be released at the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The research, carried out through a mixture of one-on-one interviews and multi-choice questions involving 72 local chiefs, was the first time PWC’s annual survey stretched to include New Zealand.

PWC New Zealand chief executive Bruce Hassall said the global review had been running for 13 years but the financial crisis had sparked the decision to include New Zealand.

“We were keen to run a New Zealand equivalent survey to find out how New Zealand executives compared with global trends, how New Zealand businesses had managed through the recession and their outlook now.”

Hassall said the survey had found strong similarities between New Zealand chief executives and their overseas counterparts as well as some key differences. He said the global consensus was that executives believed they had navigated the recession well and optimism was now picking up with an expectation of growth this year.