CEO INSIGHTS – Week Ending 27 March 2026

Infant Formula

“This was one of the most frustrating seasons I've experienced in my 18 years in the industry. We faced multiple headwinds and had very little choice as to how we could deal with them.” Richard Wyeth, CEO, Synlait Milk Ltd

Supplier Price Increases

“Talking about [supply to us of] 100-plus different base oils around the world and a few thousand chemicals, it's very hard to say this will be the impact. Nobody knows the impact today. If you look back, I'm now 22 years as CEO. We had the Lehman crisis. We had the corona part in the year 2022; we had a 17% raw material increase.” Stefan Fuchs, CEO, Fuchs SE

“From the cost side, we saw some early indications, as you'd imagine, anything tied with fuel. So we've seen some short-term kind of impacts on shipping costs pretty quickly…I do think there'll be some impacts on things like plastic costs. We saw some meaningful increases in India [manufacturer] fairly quickly. But the reality is that it takes just a bit of time to pass through.” Kyle Gendreau, CEO, Samsonite Group S.A.

“I think the whole industry is doing that. It is inevitable, there’s no choice.” Vik Bansal, CEO, Boral Ltd

Cattle

“We're also seeing in the Australian cattle industry an increase in the days on feed of cattle in the feedlot. So, they're being grown out to a larger weight. That is meaning that the cattle are costing more when they come out the other end because they are bigger animals.” Tim Sheridan, COO, Rural Funds Group Ltd

RVs

“We are monitoring that situation very carefully. We certainly understand that that is weighing on the minds of consumers and dealers as they contemplate, obviously, investments in the lifestyle for consumers and in inventory from a dealer standpoint, but we have not seen any adverse effects quite yet from the conflict.” Michael Happe, CEO, Winnebago Industries Inc.

Freight Demand

“As we look into the fourth quarter [2QCY26], our current expectation is that the demand trends fundamentally remain unchanged. And our first 2 weeks in March have essentially been in line with our expectations.” Rajesh Subramaniam, CEO, FedEx Corp.

LNG

“Australia alone will not be able to offset the entire lack of LNG coming from the Middle East, but there will be some new LNG facilities coming from Australia and elsewhere…Let’s not forget that Australia also makes a major contribution to regional energy security.” Fatih Birol, Exec. Director, International Energy Agency

Oil Crisis

“The two consecutive oil crises in the 1970s...in each of the crises, the world lost about 5 million barrels per day, both of them together, 10 million barrels per day…. After that, we all know that there were major economic problems around the recessions. As of today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day. More than two major oil shocks put together.” Fatih Birol, Exec. Director, International Energy Agency

Fabrics & Materials

“I do not understand why people tell you how conscious they are about climate change and sustainability, and then suddenly you look at their feet, and they’re wearing Crocs. They are made of plastic!” Christian Louboutin, CEO, Founder, Christian Louboutin

Working from Home & Fuel Restrictions

“Can’t people get public transport or ride a bike in?” Adam Schwab, CEO, Luxury Escapes

Macroeconomic

“We are living through a period where things that would’ve defined a decade have become routine: wars with global repercussions, trillion-dollar companies, a fundamental reordering of international trade, and the advent of the most significant technology since, at least, the computer.” Larry Fink, CEO, BlackRock Inc.

Omega-3

“DHA is an element of omega-3. It is essential for the development of your brain, your eyes, and neural signalling through the body. It is legislated to be included in infant formula basically across the entire world. And it's now being used in a whole range of other products that go into human nutrition, especially into the senior market and sports nutrition. There's been a lot of research in recent times that's helped us expand our market.” Peter Davey, CEO, Clover Corp. Ltd

Corporate Sector & Corporate Uniforms

“Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company.” Jack Dorsey, CEO, Block Inc.

“It's incredibly competitive, and that's the way it always has been and will be.” Todd Schneider, CEO, Cintas Corp. [one of the world’s largest commercial uniform & supplies companies]

Workplace Fit-outs & Furniture

“I think we're seeing a little bit of price sensitivity. We're seeing a little bit of a different reaction in different parts of the world. We're not seeing major pullbacks anywhere, but I think in places that are touched more closely, whether it's the conflict in Ukraine or whether the latest concept in the Middle East, and we're certainly seeing a little bit more caution, but not necessarily reflected in order trends that have changed.” Andrew Owen, CEO, MillerKnoll Inc.