Singapore C-suite leaders face a ‘complexity conundrum' that demands different leadership

Business Times

2 days ago

SINGAPORE-BASED C-suite executives face a unique challenge that their global counterparts often don't – what we at AlixPartners call the 'complexity conundrum'.
Our 2025 Global Risk Survey shows that while most organisations worldwide struggle with specific risk categories, Singapore business leaders must juggle a much broader range of interconnected challenges all at once.
Let's be clear: This isn't just about having more risks to worry about. It's about understanding how deeply interconnected these risks are when you're running operations across multiple markets.
The numbers tell an interesting story: 61 per cent of global organisations admit they're unprepared for cyber threats, but in Singapore, businesses have developed what we see as an 'all-front defence strategy', with remarkably consistent investment across all cybersecurity dimensions.
This balanced approach jumps out from the data. Singapore organisations maintain extraordinarily consistent cybersecurity investments (21 to 29 points across all measures), compared to the rather erratic patterns charted among regional neighbours like China (22 to 36 points), Hong Kong (17 to 34 points), and Japan (10 to 29 points).
Singapore's C-suite leaders seem to understand instinctively that you can't just shore up defences in one area when you're operating across multiple markets; that simply creates vulnerabilities elsewhere.
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Climate change is perhaps the most telling example of this complexity. Singapore executives rate climate change concerns at 42 per cent – significantly higher than in Hong Kong (16 per cent) and Japan (20 per cent). This isn't just about being environmentally conscious – it reflects the hard reality that multi-market operations face climate risks that ripple across diverse geographies, regulatory environments, and supply chains.
One Singapore CEO put it rather bluntly: 'When a climate event hits one of our markets, the headache spreads through our entire regional operation in ways that single-market businesses just don't experience.'
The same goes for navigating regulations: 71 per cent of global organisations confess they're not ready for international regulatory changes, but in Singapore, C-suite leaders have had to develop more balanced approaches to juggling technology resilience, data privacy, cybersecurity, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and AI regulations across multiple jurisdictions – all at the same time.
This complexity conundrum demands a different sort of leadership. Singapore executives simply can't afford to become experts in one risk area while neglecting others. They need balanced competency across cybersecurity, climate adaptation, regulatory compliance and geopolitical navigation. Their leadership teams must be good at spotting connections between seemingly unrelated risks – understanding how a climate event might trigger supply-chain problems while simultaneously creating regulatory headaches and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
For C-suite leaders navigating Singapore's complex business environment, our research points to three essential strategies: First, resist the temptation to prioritise risks narrowly based on global trends. Second, approach risk management holistically, recognising that Singapore's position creates uniquely interconnected challenges. Finally, build leadership teams with diverse risk management capabilities rather than isolated specialists.
The Singapore complexity conundrum certainly makes life more difficult, but our data suggests it's also creating a hidden advantage. By mastering this balanced approach to risk, Singapore-based executives are developing skills that will become increasingly valuable as all global businesses face the interconnected challenges of tomorrow's business landscape.
The writer is partner, managing director and Singapore country leader at AlixPartners.