ResMed, News Corp bosses top CEO pay tables in 2023

The head of medtech giant ResMed Mick Farrell and News Corporation boss Robert Thomson have taken out the top two spots in an annual list of the highest-paid chief executives of ASX-listed companies, with the average ASX 100 CEO paid 50 times what an average Australian worker earns.

The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), an adviser to not-for-profit super funds, will on Friday release its yearly report on CEO pay, which shows the typical boss of an ASX100 company received $3.87 million in realised pay in the 2023 financial year.

Both ResMed and News Corporation are US-domiciled, with ACSI’s report pointing to the higher pay packets enjoyed by CEOs of foreign-domiciled companies. According to ACSI’s report, Farrell’s realised pay was $47.6 million for the year, while Thomson’s was $41.5 million.

The typical pay packet for a CEO of an ASX100 company was $3.87 million in the 2023 financial year, ACSI said.Credit: Jessica Shaprio

Among Australian-domiciled companies, ACSI said the highest-paid bosses were Goodman Group’s Greg Goodman, with $27. 3 million in realised pay, and Macquarie Group’s Shemara Wikramanayake, with $25.3 million.

BHP chief Mike Henry was next on the list, with realised pay of $19.7 million, followed by Commonwealth Bank’s Matt Comyn, with $10.5 million in realised pay.

With many companies facing an investor backlash over CEO pay last year, ACSI said the slight decline in median “realised pay”, which refers to the cash and equity a CEO received during the year, showed that growing investor scrutiny was making a difference.

However, the persistence of bonus payments remains a concern. The analysis found ASX 100 CEOs received a median bonus of 66.3 per cent of their maximum potential, and ACSI warned bonuses should not be a given for corporate bosses, but rather a reward for “exceptional outcomes”.

ACSI’s executive manager of stewardship, Ed John, also said there was a risk of a “breakout” in Australian CEO pay in the future as he urged boards to not become complacent.

John also noted that corporate bosses tend to be paid much more in the US – Associated Press last month reported median pay for CEOs of S&P 500 companies was $US16.3 million.

“That US pay culture versus the Australian pay culture is one comparative point, and certainly is a concern if we follow that path,” John said.

The slide in pay for a typical CEO comes after 41 companies on the ASX 300 last year received a “strike” - which refers to a “no” vote of 25 per cent or more against a company’s remuneration report.

While ACSI welcomed the decline in CEO pay, it reiterated its previous concerns about the consistency of bonus payments, saying only eight CEOs in its sample received no bonus at all.

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