Source: http://worldcityweb.com/home/MIA/publications/magazine/46/858/

(2) 2007 CEO Survey - Optimism Abounds

by WC

Optimism remains high and multinational business leaders are starting to believe in the resiliency of the Latin American economic boom, though competition from China is a concern for some.

These are some of the conclusions that can be drawn from a survey conducted in mid-July among regional CEOs of major multinational companies and a select few local business leaders.

Clearly, most Miami-based Latin American headquarters of multinational companies are enjoying a stellar year. More than 60 percent of the 57 CEOs who responded to our questionnaire say they expect their businesses to register significant growth in 2007 and 35 percent expect modest growth. Only two of those polled expect no growth this year. (See methodology and list of participants on p. 20).

That optimism has been translated into more jobs, both here and across the region. Over 80 percent of CEOs say they have staffed up this year. And the consistent growth over the past four years now has CEOs believing that the good times are here to stay. Forty-five percent are unequivocally bullish on the regions future, compared to only 33 percent a year ago (Question #3.)

The responses WorldCity received this year can be compared to those we received in August 2006, when this survey was first produced. Thirty-eight CEOs participated in last years poll.

Some things have not changed dramatically. Brazil is still the main driver for many regional businesses, while Mexico continues to underachieve. And the attitudes toward Venezuela are as schizophrenic as ever. Thats because, while a majority of business leaders oppose President
Chavezs policies, the Venezuelan economy is booming and thats good for the bottom line. (Question #s 6,7).

On the other hand, there are a number of significant changes worth noting. There is clearly more confidence in the sustainability of the regions strong economic performance. Theres also more confidence that corporate headquarters are taking note of the progress in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Perhaps most interesting is the shift in perceptions of Chinese investments in the region. CEOs are no longer as indifferent as they were a year ago to the growing Chinese presence in the region.








Survey Participants & Methodology:

This survey was conducted online between July 6 and July 16. WORLDCITY invited 90 CEOs to participate in this survey, all of whom have attended one of our monthly CEO Roundtables or are scheduled to attend in the near future. Of this total, 76 viewed the online survey and 57 completed the full questionnaire. The 2006 survey was conducted in August, from 38 responses.

The top regional executive of the following companies participated in this years survey: AIG, Americatel, Auxis, Baral Group, Becker & Poliakoff, Burson Marsteller, Caterpillar, CBRE, Citrix, Colliers, Daylight Forensic, Discovery Networks, DMNI, Edward W. Kelly, Fabio Perini, Ferragamo, Ferrell Law, FTI Consulting, Heidrick & Struggles, Hellmann Worldwide, Hewlett-Packard, Hugo Boss, IDC, InfoAmericas, John Crane, Korn/Ferry, LAN, Landstar, Latinode, Marriott, Medtronic, Mercer, Promored, Regions Bank, RGP, Ryder, Saf-T-Pay, Sonnema, Stanford Group, Stefanini, Stryker, Studley, Swire Properties, Symantec, Telefonica, Terremark, The Conrad Group, TransExpress, Tuthill, Unisys, U.S. Century Bank, Virchaux & Partners, Watson Wyatt, Wendys, Wireless Logix Group and Yahoo!. WORLDCITY thanks them for their time and their insight.