This report is ACSI’s 19th annual survey of CEO pay in Australia’s largest listed companies. This report highlights how CEO pay and bonuses trended downwards ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key findings:
- Realised and reported pay for CEOs fell across the ASX100 during FY19. Median and average realised pay across the ASX100 sample fell in FY19, with the median declining 8.2% and the average 7.4%.
- Fixed remuneration for CEO's has also fallen over time.
Median ASX100 CEO fixed pay was flat year-on-year and has fallen from $1.95mn in FY12 to $1.76mn in the latest year. - Bonuses were persistent but average awards dropped. The median bonus awarded as a proportion of maximum was 60% in the ASX100. This is a fall from the ~70% recorded in FY18 and the three years prior.
- The number of eligible ASX200 CEOs who did not get a bonus more than trebled, from 7 to 25. In the ASX100, 12 CEOs received zero bonus (FY18: one).
- Not all ASX200 companies followed the downward trend. There were examples of CEO’s receiving very high realised remuneration. Substantial increases in share prices saw the addition of several new companies in ACSI’s list of the 10 highest-paid CEOs.
