Women in leadership positions are increasingly aware of the need to innovate and feel more capable of delivering on those results, according to a recent report from KPMG.

KPMG compiled the report based on a survey of 699 women in executive positions from 42 countries, including Canada.

Digital transformation has put a lot of pressure on companies, but female leaders appear to believe this pressure is warranted. Only 21% of respondents think their board of directors has unreasonable expectations regarding return on investment that’s related to digital transformation projects, compared to 55% of (largely male) respondents who said the same in KPMG’s CEO Outlook report from earlier this year.

Among the respondents, 93% see the need to improve innovation processes and execution over the next three years. Data is a major area of focus, with 77% saying they plan to increase their use of predictive data and analytics. But it’s also important to their decision-making process: over the last three years, 58% have made strategic decisions based on data-driven insights, rather than overlooking the data and “going with their gut” (compared to 67% in the CEO Outlook report that said they have ignored data-based insights).

But while female leaders are ready to embrace innovation on a large scale, they are still testing new technology: 48% feel comfortable with things like AI, blockchain, mixed reality and 3D printing, with 53% saying they intend to collaborate with startups and other innovative companies. Women are also a bit more pessimistic when it comes to the impact that AI could have on their workforce, with 53% saying the technology will eliminate more jobs than it creates (38% percent of respondents in the CEO Outlook survey said the same).