The gap between executive compensation and other workers is getting wider than ever in some companies—but investor appetite for that seems to be waning.
As You Sow’s latest survey of America’s most overpaid CEOs is out, with Paycom Software’s Chad Richison leading the list. But the number of shareholders voting against high compensation packages is on the rise. Last year, a record 16 companies in the S&P 500 had CEO pay packages rejected by shareholders, a 60% increase over 2020—and twice as many as in 2019.
Richison earned the dubious honor by taking in over $211 million last year. That compares to the average worker at his company taking home $71,259. That’s a ratio of 2,963 to 1. He’s a newcomer to the list and didn’t even make the top 10 last year.
In fact, only two CEOs from last year’s list made it back onto the top 10: Discovery’s David Zaslav and John C. Plant of Howmet Aerospace. (Zaslav was also on the lists from 2019 and 2020.)
“Because frontline worker pay remained essentially flat for many years, the ratio between employee and CEO pay grew particularly stark,” the report read.
Here’s a look at the list’s ranking of the 10 most overpaid CEOs in America.
1) Chad Richison, Paycom Software
Salary: $211,131,206
Median employee pay: $71,259
Ratio: 2,963:1
2) Frank Del Rio, Norwegian Cruise Line
Salary: $36,381,255
Median employee pay: $30,635
Ratio: 1,188:1
3) Lawrence Culp Jr., General Electric
Salary: $73,192,032
Median employee pay: $53,928
Ratio: 1,357:1
4) Mike Sievert, T-Mobile
Salary: $54,914,015
Median employee pay: $63,949
Ratio: 859:1
5) John Donahoe, Nike
Salary: $53,499,980
Median employee pay: $28,142
Ratio: 1,935:1
6) Chris Nassetta, Hilton
Salary: $55,870,639
Median employee pay: $28,608
Ratio: 1,943:1
7) John Plant, Howmet Aerospace
Salary: $39,091,008
Median employee pay: $58,020
Ratio: 761:1
8) David Zaslav, Discovery
Salary: $37,710,462
Median employee pay: $66,689
Ratio: 565:1
9) Brian Niccol, Chipotle Mexican Grill
Salary: $38,035,868
Median employee pay: $13,127
Ratio: 2,898:1
10) Leonard Schleifer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Salary: $135,350,121
Median employee pay: $145,019
Ratio: 933:1
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
