Novartis ANZ leadership transition intersects with executive unease over geopolitical shocks

Novartis has announced a senior leadership transition in its local operations, confirming that Allison Rossiter has resigned from her role as Country President, Australia and New Zealand, for personal reasons.

Judith Love, President Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMA), said “We respect Ali’s decision and thank her for her contribution. Our ANZ business continues to be supported by an experienced local leadership team and incredible ANZ team who remain focused on delivering for patients in Australia and New Zealand.”

Marco Muscardo will reassume the role of interim ANZ Country President in addition to his existing responsibilities as New Zealand General Manager.

The leadership change comes against a broader backdrop of heightened corporate sensitivity to uncertainty and external shocks, with a new report examining how Australian senior executives are pricing geopolitical risk, trade volatility, supply chain disruption and strategic opportunity.

The Pulse Report, developed by The CEO Institute in collaboration with Geopolitical Strategy, finds concern has surged, with 100% of executives surveyed in April reporting they are ‘more concerned’ about geopolitics and trade disruption than six months ago, and 78% saying they are ‘much more concerned’.

“That does not mean Australian CEOs are predicting collapse. Far from it. What this report shows is that they are pricing a world of sustained friction: a world where shocks move faster, decision-making becomes harder, and the cost of uncertainty starts to show up in the P&L long before a crisis becomes existential,” said Richard Wynn CEO of The CEO Institute. “It is about the broader operating environment that Australian business leaders are now having to navigate.”

Executives surveyed described how geopolitical conflict is increasingly filtering into operational and financial decision-making, including through fuel, freight, input costs, pricing, contracts, supply chains and customer confidence, with the report noting the Iran conflict as a contributing factor to heightened caution across boardrooms.

“The mood is not defeatist. It is serious, sober and recalibrating,” Wynn added.

Decision-making is already showing signs of slowdown, with 41% of executives saying they have paused or delayed decisions to some extent, while a further 49% are monitoring closely.

Despite rising concern, organisational preparedness appears limited, with only 7% of companies reporting they have made structural changes in response to geopolitical risk.

Even so, executives continue to identify areas of potential growth, including critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technology, ASEAN expansion, and deeper commercial engagement with India.

“Friction is harder to hedge than crisis. It does not arrive as a single event,” said Damien Bruckard, Founder of Geopolitical Strategy. “It manifests incrementally – through tariff volatility, export controls, diverging technology standards, cyber escalation, commodity price swings, and regulatory unpredictability. It raises the cost of capital. It shortens planning horizons. It complicates long-term investment decisions.”

“Geopolitics is no longer abstract. And the Iran war has brought that reality forward,” he added. “The challenge now is translation – turning awareness into structure, and monitoring into capability.”

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