Excelling Amid Complexity: Key Takeaways from the 2025 Portfolio Company Leaders Conference

Stephen McLennan and Gillian Brown, Ontario Teachers’ Co-Chief Investment Officers, opened the conference with a clear-eyed look at the forces shaping today’s investment landscape. Inflation, interest rates, geopolitics, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence continue to redefine markets, creating both complexity and opportunity.

Attendees echoed these themes, pointing to three factors most top of mind: persistent macroeconomic pressures, political uncertainty on a global scale, and the challenge of adapting to accelerating technology. While few expect these dynamics to fade quickly, the discussions emphasized that understanding them as enduring features of the business horizon is key to building resilience and unlocking long-term growth.

Those mega-trends were reinforced by R.P. Eddy, CEO of global intelligence firm Ergo, who described the current moment as a “geopolitical-technological supercycle.” His words carried a sense of urgency: “There are months when decades happen, and we’ve had 1,300 days of months where decades are happening.”

For many in the audience, the phrase captured the dizzying pace of change they are experiencing firsthand.

Speakers emphasized that resilience comes not just from financial discipline, but from cultures that embrace experimentation, learning, and adaptability.

Keynote speaker Annie Duke, a former professional poker player and best-selling author, shared practical decision-making frameworks designed to help leaders navigate uncertainty with greater confidence. She offered a fresh perspective on how to approach complex projects—by addressing the most uncertain elements first, setting clear markers for when to pivot, and avoiding the pull of sunk costs.

“Leaders can’t control uncertainty,” she noted, “but they can control how they make decisions within it.” Her message underscored the importance of building organizations that are equipped to adapt quickly, learn from setbacks, and seize opportunities as they emerge.

Artificial intelligence dominated discussions. Executives emphasized that the greatest value from AI today lies in boosting efficiency and productivity, exploring new opportunities, and enhancing customer and employee experiences. This year, many noted, AI has already moved from experimentation to real-world application, reshaping core business processes and decision-making at scale.

Speakers from Databricks, Quantexa, Mitratech, and Compass Data Centers underscored the critical role of robust data infrastructure as the foundation for innovation, while also sharing how AI is already transforming compliance, streamlining infrastructure management, and redefining customer engagement.

Their consensus was clear: AI is not a bolt-on tool. It requires governance, talent, and strategic oversight at the highest levels of leadership.

Executives from IDEAL Toll Roads, Instagrid, and Fairstone underscored the value of networks, collaboration, and decisive action. Whether through partnerships that fuel agility or disciplined execution that turns strategy into results, the leaders who succeed are those willing to act with clarity and conviction.

As Ontario Teachers’ CEO, Jo Taylor reminded participants: “The leaders who succeed are the ones who absorb what they know, weigh the risks, and then act with clarity and confidence.”