ASX 200's highest-paid CEOs: Who leads the pack?

ACSI differentiates between CEOs of Australian-based companies and those headquartered abroad within its ASX200 list. High earnings are a common trend among CEOs of internationally based firms listed on the ASX200. For instance, Mick Farrell, the US-based CEO of $ResMed Inc(RMD.AU)$, one of the world's foremost respiratory care device companies, topped the list as the highest-paid CEO with total earnings of $47.5 million, reflecting a slight decrease of $440,400 from the previous year. Robert Thomson of $News Corp(NWS.AU)$ was not far behind, earning $41.5 million, which is an increase of $6,374,200 from last year.

Within the realm of domestically based companies, $Goodman Group(GMG.AU)$'s Greg Goodman received $27.3 million in FY2023, a decrease from the $44.3 million he earned in FY2022 due to fewer options vesting. The company's profit growth has been propelled this year by the internalization of its New Zealand management company, the robust performance of its industrial logistics portfolio, and the expansion of data centers, which in turn has driven a substantial stock price increase of over 40%. $Macquarie Group Ltd(MQG.AU)$'s Shemara Wikramanayake maintained her position as the second-highest earner, with a realized pay of $25.32 million, consistent with FY2022. They stand as the only CEOs with realized pay exceeding $20 million in Australian-based companies.

In the top 10 rankings, $CommBank(CBA.AU)$'s Matt Comyn and $Rio Tinto Ltd(RIO.AU)$'s Jakob Stausholm made their debut, each earning $10.5 million and securing the 6th and 7th spots, respectively. Alongside them, surpassing the $10 million mark was $BHP Group Ltd(BHP.AU)$'s Mike Henry, who ranked 5th with a total compensation of $19.7 million.

In addition, the list of top 10 earners included CEOs such as $Wesfarmers Ltd(WES.AU)$' Rob Scott, $Amcor PLC(AMC.AU)$'s Ron Delia, and $Sonic Healthcare Ltd(SHL.AU)$'s Colin Goldschmidt.