Shemara Wikramanayake tops Australia's highest paid CEO list

Shemara Wikramanayake tops Australia’s highest paid CEO list

Shemara Wikramanayake is CEO of Macquarie Group and the highest paid woman leading an ASX 200 listed company.

The boss of an Australian investment bank has topped the ranking of this year’s highest paid chief executives, while Ruslan Kogan’s pay soared 1413%, after he took home $8.99 million.

Shemara Wikramanayake, chief executive of Macquarie Group, received a reported pay of $15.97 million in the 12 months to June, according to The Australian Financial Review’s annual list. Compiled by OpenDirector, the pay survey revealed the country’s 50 highest paid chief executives earned an average of $6.18 million last financial year.

Chief executives of large ASX-listed e-commerce, supermarket, mining and metal recycling companies pocketed some of the biggest increases in reported pay.

On average, the top 50 bosses received a pay rise of more than 20% compared to the previous year, which was underpinned by rising share prices. The S&P/ASX 200, an index comprised of the 200 largest ASX-listed stocks, increased 24% last financial year.

Paul Perreault, chief executive of the biotechnology company CSL, ranked the second highest earner, with a reported pay of $13.87 million.

Brad Banducci, chief executive of Woolworths, received a pay increase of 37% compared to the previous year, taking home $8.38 million.

Coles chief executive, Steven Cain, wasn’t too far behind, ranking number 12 with a reported pay of $6.7 million.

The pay of Craig McNally, chief executive of Ramsay Health, was up 205% compared to the previous year, at a reported $5.91 million.

Here are Australia’s top 10 highest paid chief executives:

  1. Shemara Wikramanayak, chief executive of Macquarie Group, earned $15.97 million
  2. Paul Perreault, chief executive of CSL, earned $13.87 million
  3. Gregory Goodman, chief executive of Goodman Group, earned $13.38 million
  4. Sandeep Biswas, chief executive of Newcrest Mining, earned $10.6 million
  5. Mike Henry, chief executive of BHP Group, earned $10.08 million
  6. Ruslan Kogan, chief executive of Kogan, earned $8.99 million
  7. Brad Banducci, chief executive of Woolworths, earned $8.38 million
  8. Alistair Field, chief executive of Sims Metal Management, earned $7.89 million
  9. Graham Chipchase, chief executive of Brambles, earned $7.48 million
  10. Robert Scott, chief executive of Westfarmers, earned $6.93 million

This article was first published by SmartCompany.

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