ISS Corporate Solutions (ICS) has found that US CEO pay is tapering in its new analysis of CEO pay changes at 337 firms in the S&P 500 companies between October 2022 and 18 April, 2023. It found a median CEO pay increase of 3.1% at these companies between 2022 and 2023 compared with a median pay increase of 13.2% between 2021 and 2022. Median pay for CEOs at the included S&P 500 companies stood at US$14.3 million during the most recent period studied. Bonus and annual incentive pay-outs, with a combined median of US$2.6 million, decreased by 5.4% compared to the previous year. But stock and options awards, where granted, increased at 9.5% (a median of US$8.5 million) and 8.3% (a median of US$3 million) respectively. “Lower bonus and annual incentive pay-outs were expected over the last year given a challenging operating environment for many blue-chip companies,” said Roy Saliba, Managing Director at ICS. “It’s surprising to see, however, the magnitude of increases in stock and option awards, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of last year’s market volatility.”
