A woman has been crowned with the title of highest-paid chief executive officer in Australia for the first time.
Macquarie Bank CEO Shemara Wikramanayake earned more than $18 million in the last financial year, according to the banking giant, placing her at the top of a new list of the nation’s top CEOs by salary.
Ms Wikramanayake was only appointed to the role on 1 December 2018.
According to data from OpenDirector and originally commissioned by the Australian Financial Review, just five Australian CEOS are now making $10 million-plus per year.
The data comes from total statutory pay reported in each company’s latest annual report, and is inclusive of the accounting value of shares and options in the year they are granted.
It was reported that “overall CEO pay has remained relatively modest compared with the $30 million-plus pay figures for the likes of Macquarie’s Allan Moss, Rupert Murdoch and Wal King” that emerged prior to the global financial crisis.
Across the top 50 CEOs, total remuneration has still increased – by 4 per cent on average.
It contrasts to general age growth that is currently sitting at 2.2 per cent.
Here are the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in Australia:
1. Shemara Wikramanayake, Macquarie
Total reported pay: $18,035,835
Change: -4.5 per cent
2. Gregory Goodman, Goodman
Total reported pay: $12,800,759
Change: +19.4 per cent
3. Paul Perreault, CSL
Total reported pay: $11,718,242
Change: +4.0 per cent
4. Michael Clarke, Treasury Wine Estate
Total reported pay: $11,387,045
Change: +2.3 per cent
5. Andrew Mackenzie, BHP
Total reported pay: $10,540,000
Change: -2.5 per cent
6. Andrew Wood, WorleyParsons
Total reported pay: $8,907,000
Change: +52.2 per cent
7. Peter Coleman, Woodside Petroleum
Total reported pay: $8,807,377
Change: -14.2 per cent
8. Sandeep Biswas, Newcrest Mining
Total reported pay: $8,406,667
Change: -1.7 per cent
9. Jean-Sebastien Jacques, Rio Tinto
Total reported pay: $8,185,333
Change: +37.9 per cent
10. Peter Botten, Oil Search
Total reported pay: $7,889,896
Change: +1.2 per cent
It’s been noted that these rankings do contrast with realised pay, which includes the actual value of shares and options which have vested in that year.
Only volunteered by some companies, this figure is what put Qantas CEO Alan Joyce at the top of a list compiled by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI).
Mr Joyce had pocketed $23,876,351 over the 2017-18 financial year.
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