CEO INSIGHTS – Week Ending 13 February 2026

ASX & Index Rebalances

“Strong passive manager flows are also driving growth in auction activity, particularly during index rebalancing events.”  Helen Lofthouse, CEO, ASX Ltd

SMEs

“It’s the third-largest economy in Australia, 52 per cent of Sydneysiders now live west of Parramatta, and the largest number of small and medium enterprises in Australia is in western Sydney.” Simon Hickey, CEO, Western Sydney Airport

"Softer [commercial loan] volume growth reflects subdued SME market conditions, while NIM [net interest margin] decline is reflective of increased competitive landscape as well as a targeted shift towards premium credit customers." Market Statement, Humm Group Ltd [formerly FlexiGroup Ltd]

Commodity Prices & Miners

"Our customers have made no secret about their focus on adjusting cost structures to deal with what they may perceive as a lower commodity price outlook." Ryan Stokes, CEO, SGH Ltd

Flu & Vaccines

"While immunisation rates in ex U.S. markets have essentially recovered to pre-pandemic levels, U.S. immunisation rates will see a low to mid-single-digit decline this season…As a reminder, last year marked a 15-year high in influenza disease, and it is currently trending to be an equally bad or even worse flu season this year." Dave Ross, CEO, CSL Seqirus

Consumer Preferences & Sentiment

“Australians are ready to make the switch [to EVs], but they need clear information and real-world reassurance." Lucas Harris, COO, Chery Australia

"In new construction, it's soft across many of the key regions. Inventory levels are elevated. But the good news is consumer sentiment has stabilised, and it's supported by pent-up demand, and we're seeing modest relief in mortgage rates." Aaron Erter, CEO, James Hardie Industries Plc

Infrastructure Spending

“AI spending will only keep increasing as demand is sky high, our spending will see profits keep on doubling, doubling, doubling, doubling, which will see a continuation of the largest infrastructure buildout in human history." Jensen Huang, CEO, NVIDIA Corp.

Steel & Robotics

“Some of our fabricators are struggling. They’re clinging on by their fingernails, and they’ve reduced their capacity and their workforce by 50 per cent or more. At the moment, people are holding off buying new equipment or putting in robotics because they just say, How can I justify doing that in the current environment?” Mark Cain, CEO, Australian Steel Institute

Education

“We're at an important juncture in the education industry. Technology can be both a distraction or an accelerant to learning. It is essential to support teachers and school administrators in engaging this generation of students with new and more effective technologies.” Phillip Moyer, CEO, McGraw Hill Inc.

Fast Food Vs. GLP-1 Drugs

“I can tell you right now, we've looked pretty hard, and we don't yet see evidence of it really having a material impact on our business. Now that said, the pill form has just become available. We know the pill form has had pretty strong adoption in the early weeks…And as adoption grows, we know that consumers' behaviour changes. We know that in general, they eat fewer calories in the day, but also what they eat, the mix of those changes. Fortunately, for us, protein is one of the areas that this consumer, the GLP-1 consumer, is still very much interested in, and we've got a great protein offering on our menu.” Christopher Kempczinski, CEO, McDonald’s Corp.

Customer Relationship Management vs. AI.

“As I talk to customers right now, the biggest challenge we see with AI adoption, particularly in mid-market companies, is not access to more AI tools, more LLMs, more agents. There are plenty of those. The biggest challenge that I see is that there is a huge gap between AI output and AI outcomes. And when I say outcomes, I mean more leads, more deals, more growth.” Yamini Rangan, CEO, HubSpot Inc.

Industrial Property

“Australia’s industrial sector continues to demonstrate strong structural demand momentum, supported by resilient population growth, sustained public infrastructure investment and a rebound in tenant activity." Jesse Curtis, Head of Funds Management, Centuria Capital Group

Transport

"We see a 20:1 swing over the course of a couple of days, from the middle of the night to rush hour. And that's very, very difficult to handle. In fact, frankly, impossible to handle just with AVs [autonomous vehicles]. And then, of course, you have people who want to help with their luggage and so forth and so on. So, a hybrid network, we think, is the dominant network. Within that, we think AVs are going to be net positive because they expand the market and because they lower cost." John Risher, CEO, Lyft Inc

Residential Property

“Nationally, we are seeing a 2-speed market, resulting in a decline in new buy listings.” Cameron McIntyre, CEO, REA Group Ltd