As 2025 draws to a close, one lesson stands out: change is rarely linear. This year brought expected pressures – economic uncertainty, regulatory shifts, and intensifying climate impacts – alongside rapid surprises, from the acceleration of generative AI to shifts in global alliances that are redrawing trade and supply chains.

India’s rise as one of the world’s fastest growing major economies underlines a moment of extraordinary potential, powered by infrastructure investment, innovation capacity, and demographic strength. Yet opportunity and complexity are two sides of the same coin, with more deeply interconnected supply chains, greater exposure to climate and catastrophe risk, and new vulnerabilities in increasingly digital business models.

Looking at 2026, three forces are likely to shape boardroom agenda. Risk intelligence will move to the centre of strategy, as organisations seek better data, sharper insight, and more robust scenarios to navigate uncertainty. Resilience – environmental, operational, and financial – will become a decisive competitive advantage rather than a purely defensive posture. And new forms of partnership across industries, governments, and ecosystems will be essential to address systemic risks that no single institution can solve alone.

If 2025 reminded us that disruption is inevitable, 2026 will test how prepared we are to respond with foresight, agility, and collaboration. In a world where volatility is the norm, resilience will not only protect value, it will define who is able to grow and lead through the next wave of change.

Sanjay Kedia, CEO, Marsh McLennan India, President & CEO, Marsh India