The only certainty the shipping industry can rely on in 2024 is that it will be a year of uncertainty and unexpected shocks to the established order of world trade.

The companies that will emerge strongest from this period of unpredictability will be the most agile, both in deploying their financial resources and adjusting quickly to changing geopolitical or environmental factors.

Financial services companies will face increased pressure this year to prove that their products are trusted by customers – and do not lead to them being worse off.
 

International hotel operators, owners and investors are looking to the future with confidence after a remarkably strong year in which astute resource management and increased digitisation have helped sharpen performance and boost profitability.

Everything has changed in the media landscape in the aftermath of the Hollywood strikes that united writers and actors last year. The result is 2024 will see the emergence of new business models, AI embedded in the creative process and the emergence of new centres of production.

The global real estate sector is experiencing changes that will redefine the concept of a core property portfolio. Emerging categories will attract more funds while some traditional segments fall from favour amid concerns over occupancy, value and underwriting risk.

The digital transformation we are witnessing in manufacturing and distribution has been likened to a fourth industrial revolution and the rate of innovation will accelerate in 2024.

Ambitious companies realise they have to harness technology that may ultimately disrupt their current business models, affect the number and type of workers they need and require entirely different supply chains.