Icertis survey reveals more than 90% of India’s C- Suite predict tariffs will impact their business’s bottom line
Icertis, the global leader in AI-powered contract intelligence, today published a new survey based on responses from more than 1,000 C-suite executives, including 300 Indian business leaders. The survey found that performance demands on the C-suite have never been higher amidst tariff uncertainties and pressure to keep pace with new AI technology.
Macroeconomic factors are increasingly impacting executives, with 94% of Indian C-suite leaders confirming pressure to deliver business results has increased over the past year, and 92% reporting it is harder to make the right business decisions today compared to last year. Results show that India’s executives are feeling pressures more acutely than their global counterparts, with 73% saying that pressure has ‘increased significantly’ compared to 61% (US) and 57% (UK).
Trade tensions specifically were highlighted as a pressure point, with more than 90% of Indian executives predicting tariffs would have an impact on their business’s bottom line.
When asked how their business is navigating the impact of tariffs, 64% of Indian respondents confirmed they are reviewing contracts for potential savings opportunities. This was the number one response globally across markets, followed by rethinking long-term sourcing strategies (48%) and restructuring supply chains (47%).
“Contracts are the key to capturing savings in supplier relationships, expediting cash flow in customer deals, and optimising partnerships for commercial benefit. That’s why the Icertis survey points to contracts as the lifeline that business leaders are looking for,” said Bernadette Bulacan, Chief Evangelist, Icertis.
Keeping Up with AI Is Burning Out the C-Suite
Interestingly, the biggest source of strain for Indian respondents was ‘pressure to show ROI from AI investments’, with 56% confirming this placed additional stress on their role. This was similarly an area of concern for US (45%) and UK (38%) leaders. Among the Indian C-suite, nearly 80% feel pressure to understand complex AI concepts that historically would not have impacted their role, and find it difficult to determine which AI investments will have the biggest impact on their business.
India’s leaders also reported more exposure to AI washing, where companies exaggerate the rise of AI in their products and services. 62% of executives said they were ‘extremely inundated’ with AI washing, in comparison to 46% (US) and 36% (UK).
AI Is Delivering ROI, Despite the Executive Headaches
While AI made a prominent appearance among the respondents’ stress factors, the survey also pointed to its duality as both friend and foe to the C-suite. Nealy half of Indian executives said AI is already impacting their bottom line and an additional 32% agreed it will impact their bottom line by the end of 2025. Additionally, 98% use AI to surface insights from contract data, with 99% confirming they consider their contracting technology a “must have.”
“Most enterprises have thousands – if not millions – in unrealised value hidden in their contracts. The power of AI enables enterprises to immediately capture that value by actioning data-driven insights that lead to better business decisions and measurable ROI,” concluded Bulacan.
By building contract intelligence agents for the enterprise, Icertis is driving the next era in AI innovation for commercial relationships to further accelerate strategic outcomes and maximise contract value at scale.
Survey respondents included C-suite executives at companies with more than 5,000 employees across the US, UK, and India.
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