Most Australian executives use AI in their daily work and report positive results, but nearly two-thirds plan to look for a new role within three months. The findings come from Page Executive research based on responses from more than 14,000 executives and senior leaders, released Monday.
The survey reveals a disconnect between personal AI adoption and confidence in organisational readiness. While 83% of Australian executives said they use AI day-to-day with positive outcomes, and 66% said the technology is improving productivity across their organisation, 75% of senior leaders said they do not expect AI to affect their own role at all.
That gap matters for employers investing in AI at scale. If senior leaders use the tools themselves but believe their positions and structures won't change, companies may struggle to convert individual productivity gains into broader operational improvements.
Confidence varies across management layers
The report also points to an execution problem. Some 76% of Australian senior leaders and executives said they were confident their organisation could adapt to changing market conditions, compared with 67% of senior managers. Major change programs often depend on middle and senior managers to carry out strategies set at the top, and the gap suggests strong board-level support doesn't always translate into everyday adoption.
"The findings show that Australian business leaders are already embracing AI and seeing tangible benefits in their own work. The challenge now is translating those individual gains into organisation-wide productivity improvements," said Molly Green, Head of Page Executive Australia. "As AI adoption matures, businesses that invest in the right skills, processes and culture will be best placed to unlock its full potential."
Green described the confidence gap as a strategic execution risk. "Execution risk often sits between layers of leadership rather than in the strategy itself, and that could mean expensive change initiatives stall - not because the strategy is wrong, but because the people expected to deliver it were never fully on board," she said. For executives and strategy leaders, this pattern mirrors what AI Learning Path for Senior Managers programs aim to address: closing the gap between top-level AI ambitions and the managers responsible for daily implementation.
Retention pressure driven by flexibility
Executive retention appears shaped less by pay than by working conditions. Work-life balance ranked above salary as a driver of job satisfaction, with 53% naming it important compared with 46% for pay. Two-thirds of respondents said they would reject a promotion if it came at the expense of their wellbeing.
Flexible and hybrid working was the most valued executive benefit. Companies that tighten office attendance rules or fail to show that technology spending is delivering workable change may face higher turnover risk among senior staff.
"Despite the widespread commentary about returning to the office, the data tells us that director and C-suite employees value the flexibility they've become accustomed to, and many are not willing to sacrifice it when changing jobs," Green said. She noted that many C-suite leaders are in the sandwich generation, balancing family responsibilities with caring for older parents.
Hiring practices lag stated intentions
The report also examined recruitment. It found that 73% of organisations say they use skills-based hiring, yet only 15% of executives said skills were prioritised over pedigree. That suggests many employers are signalling a shift in recruitment strategy without fully changing how senior candidates are assessed. Traditional perks such as company cars remain common but did not rank among the top five benefits executives said they wanted.
Why this matters for executives and strategy leaders
The data shows an executive cohort that uses AI, questions whether their organisations can keep up, and increasingly values flexibility and wellbeing. For strategy leaders, the core challenge is not introducing new technology but convincing leaders across the organisation that change can be delivered in practice. Organisations investing in AI should focus on aligning leadership layers, not just deploying tools. For those building that capability, resources on AI for Executives & Strategy provide frameworks for turning individual adoption into organisational change.
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