RIYADH: Sustainability is rising among Saudi CEOs’ priorities amid a growing recognition of its importance as a business imperative and growth driver, an IBM study showed. The firm’s annual CEO study surveyed over 60 business chiefs in Saudi Arabia and found that nearly half of the respondents rank sustainability as a top priority for their respective organizations — an increase of 37 percent from 2021. Around 62 percent of the respondents said that increasing sustainability is one of their highest priorities for their organization in the next two to three years, which is 14 percent more than the global average surveyed. “CEOs are leading during one of the most complex environments ever, including war, inflation, talent shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Fahad Alanazi, general manager of IBM Saudi Arabia. “Despite these challenges, they aren’t taking their foot off the gas when it comes to sustainability, and now rank it among their top priorities. Sustainability is at the heart of Saudi Vision 2030 as the Kingdom aims to reach net zero by 2060,” he added. The study, titled “Own your impact: Practical pathways to transformational sustainability,” is released by the IBM Institute for Business Value.