Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India’s path to the C-suite is becoming broader and less linear as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how businesses operate and make decisions. A new LinkedIn report shows that Millennials now account for 55% of India’s C-suite, making them the largest generational cohort among senior executives.
Their representation has grown by 14.5% over the past seven years, reflecting a broader shift in the country’s leadership landscape.
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The report also highlights that leaders are no longer following traditional career paths. The share of C-suite executives with experience in a single industry has dropped from nearly 80% to 58%, signalling that exposure across companies, functions, and business environments is becoming increasingly valuable.
AI IS RESHAPING LEADERSHIP DECISIONS
AI is accelerating this transformation. According to the report, 84% of Indian C-suite leaders say AI is creating new roles within their organisations, with the strong sentiment among Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) at 94%.
AI is also becoming a key part of executive decision-making, with 84% of leaders saying inputs from AI tools now play an important role in how they make business decisions.
LEADERS FACE PRESSURE TO MOVE FASTER ON AI
Despite the growing adoption of AI, many executives admit they are struggling to keep pace. Nearly four in five Indian C-suite leaders say they are under pressure to implement AI faster than they can effectively measure its impact.
This pressure is highest among CMOs (82%) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) (81%), reflecting the rapid pace of change in customer engagement and technology adoption.
At the same time, 39% of Indian C-suite leaders identify making fast decisions amid constant uncertainty as one of their biggest leadership challenges. This concern is most pronounced among CMOs (46%) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) (43%), highlighting that speed must now be balanced with sound decision-making.
WORKFORCE PLANNING IS BECOMING EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILTY
The report also points to growing concerns about future talent needs. More than half (51%) of Indian C-suite leaders acknowledge a workforce blind spot around the roles, skills, and capabilities their organisations will require in the future. The concern is highest among CMOs at 58%.
This suggests that workforce planning is no longer just an HR function. Instead, it has become a shared leadership responsibility that influences business growth, technology adoption, customer strategy, and organisational design.
INNOVATION TOPS AI AGENDA
Nearly nine in ten Indian C-suite leaders say innovation is the most important outcome they expect from AI investments.
This expectation is strongest among CMOs (92%), followed by CEOs and CTOs (91% each), and Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) (82%).
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in business operations, leaders are increasingly looking beyond productivity gains to create new products, improve customer experiences, develop new ways of working, and strengthen competitive advantage.
AI SKILLS ARE BECOMING ESSENTIAL FOR C-SUITE
As leadership roles evolve, so do the skills expected of senior executives. Four of India’s five fastest-growing C-suite skills are AI-related, including AI Agents, AI Productivity, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and AI Strategy.
Among these, AI Agents is the fastest-growing C-suite skill in India, recording 18.6% year-on-year growth. Specialised AI and technical skills have also increased by 10.9% since 2020, highlighting the growing importance of AI expertise as it becomes central to business strategy.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
