Introduction
To determine the key priorities and strategies influencing executive decision-making in 2026, we conducted our annual survey of senior leaders across the financial services sector.
The results provide a comprehensive view of how executives are approaching leadership, talent, and strategy amid economic volatility, geopolitical complexity, and accelerating technological change.
Informed by both survey data and our work with boards and executive teams across the country, the findings reflect a clear evolution from last year’s narrative of broad-based transformation to a more disciplined, execution-focused leadership agenda.
Our 2026 Leadership Outlook explores:
The evolving leadership agenda in Canada
Key executive competencies needed for success
AI, digital, and operational integration
The impact of leadership advisory
Massey Henry’s annual executive survey points to a defining year ahead, shaped by AI-enabled transformation and rising productivity expectations.
Organizational success will depend on converting technology investment into tangible growth that drives sustained competitive advantage.
From my experience partnering with the team at Massey Henry on a senior executive mandate, leaders who can navigate uncertainty and drive transformation with clarity will be best positioned to translate technology investment into sustained performance amid today’s shifting economic landscape.
Our latest report examines key priorities and strategies influencing executive decision-making in 2026, with results from our annual survey of senior leaders across the financial services sector.
Key Survey Findings
High-Demand Leadership Skills for an Evolving Industry
- Canada’s financial services sector is shifting from functional depth to enterprise-level judgment.
- Strategic decision-making under uncertainty has emerged as the most critical leadership capability, followed by transformation leadership focused on productivity, operating model redesign, and change execution.
Navigating Competition for Specialized Talent
- Competition for executives with specialized expertise — particularly in AI, data, digital platforms, and cybersecurity — continues to intensify.
- Organizations are balancing hybrid work expectations, compensation pressures, regulatory considerations, and high-performance culture requirements.
Balancing Technology with Operational Efficiency
- AI, automation, and digital transformation are expected to drive the greatest organizational impact in the coming year.
- Leaders are expected to clearly demonstrate the enterprise value, return on investment, and governance of technology initiatives and transformation.
Actionable Strategies for Leadership in 2026
1. Prioritize strategic decision-making frameworks
Equip senior leaders with tools for scenario planning and competitive stress-testing to facilitate confident decisions in the face of uncertainty.
2. Adopt agile strategies
Embrace agile approaches to respond to technological advancements, geopolitical shifts, and workforce changes while fostering innovation and resilience.
3. Operationalize productivity and redesign
Move from pilot initiatives to enterprise-wide operating model redesigns that integrate AI and automation to drive efficiency and scalability.
4. Focus on technological fluency over literacy
Ensure leaders can evaluate the strategic and financial implications of emerging technologies, not simply understand the tools themselves.
5. Refine the hybrid value proposition
Return-to-office (RTO) strategies continue to spark debate across Canada’s financial services sector — from major banks to the public sector.
Organizations must define a clear, intentional approach that aligns enterprise performance goals with employee expectations and long-term cultural sustainability.
Key Takeaways
While the federal budget was highly anticipated, most leaders indicate it will not materially alter near-term capital allocation decisions.
10% of respondents noted a shift toward capital preservation.
Respondents expressed that while new opportunities may emerge from recent policy measures, they do not anticipate the budget will materially impact organizations within the 12–24-month timeframe.
The Talent Imperative
From Attraction to Retention
What are the biggest challenges your organization is facing today that impact your ability to attract and retain top talent?
- 51% cited specialized skills
- 49% cited hybrid/remote work expectations
- 33% cited compensation pressures
- 25% cited retention and internal mobility
Demand for leaders with specialized expertise in areas such as digital banking, fintech, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) continues to accelerate, driven by ongoing transformation and technological advancement.
These capabilities are increasingly viewed as foundational to navigating successive waves of change, including the adoption of AI and advanced analytics.
Respondents also highlighted hybrid work and compensation as persistent challenges. Traditional, blanket mandates for returning to the office (RTO) have proven less effective, particularly following widespread RTO initiatives rolled out across 2025 that were met with mixed reactions. Canadian organizations continue to recalibrate in a post-pandemic environment where flexibility, purpose, and performance must coexist.
Key Takeaways
Organizations must rethink talent strategies holistically — aligning senior leadership around shared objectives, fostering purpose-driven cultures, and evolving compensation and engagement models to attract and retain high-impact leaders.
Leadership Priorities
Where Focus is Shifting
What area will have the most impact on your organization in the coming year?
Technological fluency and cost discipline have emerged as dominant leadership priorities.
As investments in AI and digital platforms mature, organizations are increasingly focused on execution, integration, and measurable productivity gains.
Notably, fewer respondents anticipate geopolitical, economic, or regulatory factors will be the primary drivers of impact compared to last year. In 2026, 34% of respondents identified these external factors as most significant, down from 53% in our 2025 survey.
This shift may reflect greater confidence in organizations’ ability to manage external volatility, paired with an intensified focus on internal levers within leaders’ control.
Key Takeaways
With greater confidence in managing external volatility, leaders are prioritizing execution: scaling AI and digital investments, driving productivity, and redesigning operating models to deliver measurable results.
Execution, not anticipation, is emerging as a defining leadership challenge for 2026.
Skills for the Future
What Leaders Need to Succeed
What are the top skills C-suite and Board leaders need to effectively navigate the financial services landscape in 2026?
As Canada’s financial services sector continues to evolve, the skill sets required of leaders are expanding to meet the complexities of a changing environment.
Last year’s survey emphasized people leadership and team development as the most critical capability. This year’s findings reflect a shift in expectations, with a greater emphasis placed on executive judgment and enterprise leadership.
Leaders are expected to navigate unprecedented tariff considerations, geopolitical dynamics, and technological change with limited points of reference. Transformation leadership is no longer viewed as situational; it is now considered a core executive competency encompassing organizational redesign, technology integration, M&A, and regulatory change.
Key Takeaways
High-stakes decision-making under uncertainty is now a defining leadership requirement.
Transformation leadership is viewed as a critical executive competency, not a situational skill.
Organizations must prioritize leaders who combine sound judgment, change capability, and technological fluency.
From Strategy to Execution
The Role of External Partners
What services would be most helpful from an executive search and leadership advisory firm in addressing current trends and challenges?
%
Executive search for key leadership roles
%
Leadership assessment and executive coaching
%
Succession planning and talent mapping
Key Takeaways
Organizations are placing greater emphasis on securing the right leader from the start.
Executive search and leadership advisory firms are increasingly valued for insight, judgment, and strategic partnership — not execution alone.
Demand for external support has become more focused.
Survey respondents identified executive search, leadership assessment, succession planning, and executive coaching as the most valuable areas of partnership in 2026.
Onboarding support ranked significantly lower, reinforcing the importance of making the right leadership decisions upfront.
Respondents also emphasized the value of advisory support related to compensation trends, market intelligence, and organizational design.
In an increasingly competitive market for leaders with niche expertise, executive search and leadership advisory firms are viewed as strategic partners in shaping leadership strategies that support long-term performance and retention.
Looking Ahead
A More Disciplined Leadership Agenda
The insights from our 2026 survey underscore the growing complexity of leadership across Canada’s financial services sector.
While transformation remains critical, the emphasis has clearly shifted toward execution, productivity, and disciplined decision-making.
The shifts reshaping executive leadership are as follows:
Drive change without destabilizing the organization.
Align specialized skills to enterprise outcomes.
Make confident decisions in uncertainty.
Balance innovation with governance, risk, and resilience.
Survey respondents identified executive search, leadership assessment, succession planning, and executive coaching as the most valuable areas of partnership in 2026. By investing in future-ready leadership — through strategic hiring, rigorous assessment, and proactive succession planning — financial institutions can navigate uncertainty and position themselves for sustained success.
As Canadian financial services organizations move ahead with confidence, strong, forward-looking leadership will remain the defining factor in converting complexity into opportunity.
About Massey Henry
Executive Search, Coaching, Assessment, and Advisory Services
Ranked among Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail, Massey Henry is one of North America’s leading executive search and board advisory firms focused exclusively on the financial services sector. With an experienced team of former industry leaders and talent management specialists, the firm combines innovative technology with in-depth sector expertise to provide clients with full-scope executive search, talent assessment, coaching, and leadership advisory services.
Michael Henry
Managing Partner, Massey Henry
John Sanders
Senior Partner, Board & CEO Services
Lisa Newey
Partner
Carmen Jefferey
Principal