On the Hot Seat for 2025: Sundar Pichai, Kristi Noem and More
These leaders face an especially challenging year.
Clockwise from top left: Gautam Adani, Ursula von der Leyen, Sundar Pichai, Kelly Ortberg, Kristi Noem, Oliver Blume and Makoto Uchida.
Illustration: Fromm Studio for Bloomberg Businessweek
Next year is sure to test leaders across industries and regions, but some—tech titans, auto CEOs and industrial bosses—find themselves in exceptionally tough situations. Here are a half-dozen facing a make-or-break year.
Even as the transition to battery-powered cars is hitting speed bumps in various markets, the shift remains inevitable, with tech-savvy Chinese manufacturers poised to benefit the most while the erstwhile giants of the industry fall behind. This is placing immense pressure on Volkswagen AG’s Oliver Blume and Nissan Motor Corp.’s Makoto Uchida.