GLS 2025 | Bain CEO: AI is no longer optional and human trust will define winners

As artificial intelligence transforms industries and geopolitics reshapes trade, CEOs are being forced to rewrite the rules of corporate leadership. The modern chief executive, says Christophe De Vusser, CEO and Worldwide Managing Partner of Bain & Company, must now be “an orchestrator of transition”, balancing technological ambition with human trust and resilience.

Speaking at CNBC-TV18’s Global Leadership Summit 2025 on Friday (November 7), De Vusser said AI has become a competitive necessity, not a choice.

“A CEO today is not just managing operations, they are orchestrating a business transition enabled by AI,” he said, noting that companies across sectors are leaning on automation, analytics, and data-driven models to stay ahead.

But amid this acceleration, De Vusser warned that trust will define the winners of the AI era. “Trust in the world of AI is critical,” he said. “Humans will continue to play a core role in balancing trust and taking advantage of technology.”

He said that every technological revolution must be matched by a revolutionising of the workforce — with companies investing in skills, adaptability, and ethical governance to manage the transition responsibly.

Alongside the technological shift, De Vusser pointed out that leaders are also grappling with an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

“Every company now has a geopolitical strategy,” he observed, citing how energy security, supply chain shifts, and trade barriers have become boardroom priorities.

Bain, he said, is advising clients to build resilience, increase short-term adaptability, and rethink capital allocation in this volatile landscape. “We recommend clients think like hedge funds when it comes to their global exposure,” he said.

‘Population

is India’s economic power, not problem’

De Vusser reaffirmed Bain’s bullish outlook on India, calling it “the only country in the world with a dual engine of growth — population and globalisation.”

He said India’s young workforce, expanding consumer base and deepening integration into global supply chains make it uniquely positioned to outperform other emerging economies. “We continue to be incredibly bullish on India,” he said, adding that the country is now Bain’s second-largest talent market after the US, and that the firm expects double-digit growth in India over the coming years.

"India’s population isn’t a challenge, it’s an economic engine the world envies. As labour forces shrink elsewhere, India enters a decade of demographic advantage,” he said.

Trade realignments, too, could play to India’s advantage. De Vusser noted that as the US and other economies turn towards tariffs and protectionist policies, global manufacturers are reassessing their production networks.

“Everyone around the world will be affected by US tariffs,” he said. “But that also offers an opportunity for India in the long term on the manufacturing side.” He added that as manufacturing becomes increasingly automated and robotics-led, India’s combination of scale, skills, and reform momentum positions it well to capture new global investment.