Marketplace All-in-One The view of this economy from the boardroom
Mar 10, 2026
Tim Walsh, Chair and CEO of KPMG US, shares CEOs' top worries like AI adoption and tariff uncertainty. Ben Kumar, head of equity strategy at Seven Investment Management, breaks down recent oil swings, transit risks, and market reactions. Multiple short conversations explore AI's workplace impact, investment pauses from policy uncertainty, and why leaders still see resilience ahead.
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Oil Shock Threatens Fertilizer Supply
- Oil disruptions risk longer-term effects via refinery byproducts like sulfur and ammonia used for fertilizer, not just fuel prices.
- Ben Kumar highlighted Middle East refining supplies provide ~50% of sulfur and ~30–40% of ammonia, threatening food supply timing.
AI Adoption Is A Must Have
- CEOs now view AI adoption as nonoptional and central to staying competitive across nearly every business function.
- Tim Walsh's survey of 100 large-company CEOs found acceleration of AI is the top topic driving strategic decisions right now.
AI Will Reshape All Employee Layers
- CEOs expect AI to affect employees at every layer rather than just replace jobs outright.
- Tim Walsh noted the technology is unknown and accelerating, so impacts will touch almost every role in most companies.