New record in bonuses for US CEOs in 2021, according to survey

This content was published on May 15, 2022 – 17:47
May 15 2022-17: 47

(AFP)

The average compensation of CEOs of the largest US companies in 2021 rose to $14.7 million a year, a sixth straight record, according to a survey by the Wall Street Journal published on Sunday.

Between salaries, bonuses, benefits and stock options, the total compensation of the company’s top executives rose 12% last year due to increases in corporate earnings, shareholder returns and stock prices.

For two-thirds of CEOs, this bonus largely comes in the form of shares or stock options invested over several years.

The Wall Street Journal analysis covers 400 companies.

Without these portfolios, the average salary for top US CEOs is $3.1 million.

The top 25 CEOs on the list received total compensation of $35 million annually. The most profitable are in the IT or media sector.

At the top of the survey for 2021 was Peter Kern, CEO of travel portal Expedia, who has $296 million in income. In April 2020, he was appointed to lead the rescue of travel sites group (Travelocity, Orbitz), which was severely affected by the impact of Covid-19.

He is closely followed by Warner Bros. Discovery Director David Zaslav, who received $246 million in compensation.