Recognising that the current disruptive geopolitical forces and adoption of AI are irreversible, what should be a framework for business transformation?
Disruption is no longer an outlier; it is our new baseline. For enterprises, the structural shifts triggered by the AI revolution and the West Asia crisis demand a fundamental pivot—shifting from efficiency-led to resilience-led models while leveraging technology for speed and agility. As a result, a credible transformation must factor geopolitical volatility, technological disruption, and energy volatility into long-term capital allocation. Strategy must evolve into a continuous exercise in scenario planning, where products and operations are designed to adapt continuously. Lastly, especially at a time when AI is permeating every part of our lives, corporate leaders are building empowered teams and fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.
Adoption of AI will largely impact mid-level executives. What advice would you give corporate leadership on managing the middle management?
AI is fundamentally reshaping the DNA of the business executive. Future-ready executives must seamlessly integrate AI-generated insights into daily operations, ask more incisive questions, and apply systems thinking to drive faster and effective execution.
Organisations could do well with attempting to evolve the role of mid-level executives. For instance, middle-level managers must be repositioned as coaches, problem‑solvers, and change leaders, supported by skills mapping and role‑adjacent reskilling. Internal mobility and project‑based opportunities should be prioritised before external hiring, providing employees with tangible pathways to grow.
EY India is a major recruiter at leading B-schools. How should these schools prepare MBA graduates?
Schools must accelerate AI literacy, focusing on critical interpretation rather than just tool proficiency. Management schools must find ways to impart future‑ready skills and foster an entrepreneurial mindset. This means getting comfortable with uncertainty.
Students, on the other hand, must treat AI literacy like the ‘10,000-hour rule’, using curiosity and imagination to move from basic automation towards problem-solving. Additionally, they will also need the ability to resolve complexity at speed and soft skills.
