New CEOs at companies like Nestle and Airtel face a challenging first year in 2025, inheriting constrained strategic options. Demand recovery is uneven, competition is intense, and investors are less patient with long-term projects. Leaders must balance immediate trade-offs, such as boosting volumes without price increases, monetizing existing capacity, and rebuilding trust. For Nestle India's CEO, the focus is on volume-led growth amidst volatile commodity costs, requiring distribution expansion and rural penetration while maintaining premiumization and digital efficiencies.