69.4% Expect Growth in AstraRicerche Survey Milan 2026

Key Points

• According to an international study conducted by AstraRicerche and commissioned by Omnicom Public Relations Italy, 69.4% of senior executives anticipate improved business performance over the next 12 months.
• Confidence levels vary across major economies, peaking in the United States (85%), Saudi Arabia (76%), and China (73%), followed by Italy (57%) and Germany (56%).
• Executives identified artificial intelligence-driven technological innovation (48.6%), increased market demand (44.8%), enhanced economic stability (44.6%), and stronger customer trust (43.0%) as the primary catalysts for long-term value creation.
• An overwhelming 82.4% of surveyed leaders confirmed that relational capital—encompassing corporate reputation, talent attraction, and stakeholder trust—is a decisive factor in generating organisational growth.
• Customers (58.2%), employees (56.4%), and partners and suppliers (55.0%) were ranked as the most vital stakeholders, yet partners and suppliers (32.8%) and customers (30.6%) simultaneously represent the most challenging relationships to manage.
• While 55.2% of companies systematically measure the quality of their stakeholder relationships, a notable operational gap persists, as 32% of executives believe relationships require financial-level measurement rigour that their organisations have not yet implemented.

MILAN (Edition Online) November 12, 2026 — Senior corporate leaders across major global economies are projecting notable optimism for commercial performance over the coming year, even as international markets navigate geopolitical friction, inflationary pressures, and rapid technological disruption. Findings from a comprehensive international survey released by AstraRicerche and commissioned by Omnicom Public Relations Italy reveal that nearly seven out of ten top executives expect stronger business results within the next 12 months. The research, conducted in early November 2026 across 500 C-suite and senior managers in five countries, underscores how modern enterprises increasingly link sustainable financial growth to the synergy between artificial intelligence innovation and systematic stakeholder relationship management.

How Optimistic Are Global Executives About Business Results in the Next 12 Months?

As reported by news staff of Adnkronos, international corporate leadership maintains a resilient outlook despite a macroeconomic environment marked by structural volatility. Specifically, 69.4% of the 500 C-suite and top management executives surveyed anticipate an improvement in their organisation’s business results over the next year.

The survey—which polled balanced samples of 100 senior managers each across the United States, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and China in early November 2026—highlighted marked regional variations in executive sentiment:

• United States: Recorded the highest confidence level at 85%.
• Saudi Arabia: Followed closely with 76% of leaders projecting positive growth.
• China: Registered strong optimism at 73%.
• Italy and Germany: Reflected comparatively more cautious sentiment among European counterparts, standing at 57% and 56% respectively.

What Factors Do Executives Identify as the Main Drivers of Long-Term Value Creation?

Beyond immediate financial projections, the AstraRicerche study examined the underlying mechanisms that corporate leaders rely upon to build enduring enterprise value. As detailed in findings published by Adnkronos, executives indicated that a balanced combination of technological advancement, favourable macroeconomic conditions, and high-quality stakeholder relationships forms the primary engine of future expansion.

When asked to pinpoint the single most relevant elements for strengthening long-term value creation, respondents ranked technological innovation accelerated by artificial intelligence first at 48.6%. This was closely followed by increased market demand (44.8%), greater economic stability (44.6%), and enhanced customer trust (43.0%). Furthermore, the data illustrates that intangible assets have become foundational to corporate strategy: 82.4% of executives identified at least one component of relational capital—such as customer trust, corporate reputation, talent attraction, or stakeholder relationship quality—as a determining factor in value creation.

Which Stakeholders Are Most Important and Most Challenging to Manage?

In evaluating organisational ecosystems, top managers clearly delineated which external and internal groups hold the greatest influence over commercial success. As reported by Adnkronos, executives ranked customers (58.2%), employees (56.4%), and partners and suppliers (55.0%) as their top three strategic priorities, followed by investors and shareholders (44.6%) and institutions, public authorities, and regulators (32.4%).

However, the research revealed a critical operational paradox: the relationships deemed most vital to corporate success are frequently the most difficult to sustain. Executives reported experiencing the greatest management friction with partners and suppliers (32.8%) and customers (30.6%). Moreover, more than a third of the surveyed sample (37.8%) noted that they must simultaneously manage at least two stakeholder relationships that are both essential to operations and exceptionally complex to maintain.

Among leaders experiencing these relational hurdles, 82.8% attributed the difficulties primarily to external macroeconomic and geopolitical forces. The leading external disruptors cited include:

• Political and regulatory uncertainty: 32.9%
• Impact of tariffs and inflation: 32.9%
• Broader economic pressures: 32.7%
• Divergent expectations among different stakeholders: 28.8%

How Do Companies Measure Stakeholder Relationships and What Did Massimo Moriconi Say?

Given the heightened importance of consensus and trust in volatile markets, the study assessed how rigorously organisations track the health of their stakeholder ecosystems. As reported by Adnkronos, 55.2% of executives stated that their organisations formally and systematically measure relationship quality on a regular basis, while 32.6% conduct only partial or occasional assessments. Meanwhile, 12.2% do not currently measure relationship quality at all—comprising 8.8% who are actively developing measurement frameworks and 3.4% who have no plans to introduce them.

Despite broad recognition of the value of relational capital, a notable gap remains between executive awareness and daily operational execution: 32% of respondents believe that stakeholder relationships ought to be evaluated with the exact same analytical rigour as financial performance, while acknowledging that their companies have not yet adopted systematic measurement practices.

Commenting on the strategic implications of the survey, as reported by Adnkronos, Massimo Moriconi, CEO of Omnicom Public Relations Italy and President of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), stated that “The results show how value creation is increasingly the result of the interaction between technological innovation and the ability to build quality relationships with stakeholders. In a global context characterized by profound transformations, algorithmic fragmentation, and growing geopolitical tensions, communication and relationship management becomes an even more strategic lever for business, directly linked to the ability to generate growth and performance. Companies that can measure and correlate the quality of relationships with concrete performance indicators will also be those best positioned to create long-term value.”

Background of the Particular Development

Over the past several years, global corporations have operated amid intersecting disruptions, including supply chain realignments, protectionist trade tariffs, inflationary cycles, and the rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence across enterprise workflows. Historically, corporate performance evaluations focused predominantly on tangible assets and quarterly financial metrics. However, evolving market dynamics have prompted boards and C-suite executives to recognise intangible assets—commonly termed relational capital—as indispensable buffers against external shocks.

Commissioned by Omnicom Public Relations Italy and executed by the independent research institute AstraRicerche in early November 2026, this multi-country survey reflects a broader industry shift toward quantifying communication outcomes. By examining C-suite perspectives across major Western, Middle Eastern, and Asian economies simultaneously, the study provides an empirical benchmark on how corporate leaders balance technological transformation with human-centric stakeholder trust.

Prediction and Impact on the Particular Audience

For C-suite executives, corporate communications directors, and investor relations professionals across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, these findings signal an impending shift in corporate governance and performance auditing. In the short to medium term, organisations are likely to accelerate investments in data-driven stakeholder analytics, closing the operational gap identified by the 32% of leaders seeking financial-grade metrics for reputational and relational health.

For suppliers, commercial partners, and institutional regulators, the survey indicates that multinational enterprises will place heightened emphasis on transparent communication and collaborative risk-sharing to mitigate the impacts of regulatory uncertainty and tariffs. Ultimately, companies that successfully integrate artificial intelligence efficiencies with measurable, high-trust stakeholder frameworks will be better positioned to outperform competitors and secure resilient growth throughout 2027.