FTSE 100 CEO Pay: Who Earns the Most?
Ranking the highest-paid chief executives across Britain's largest companies
Britain's Best-Paid CEOs
The UK's Directors' Remuneration Reports provide some of the most transparent executive pay disclosures in Europe. Under the Companies Act 2006, listed companies must publish detailed breakdowns of each director's pay package, subject to binding shareholder votes.
Our analysis covers 30 of the largest FTSE 100 constituents, drawing from the most recent annual reports filed with Companies House.
Key Findings
Energy and mining lead the table. Shell and BP's CEOs consistently rank among the highest-paid in the index, reflecting the global scale of these businesses and competition with US-listed peers for talent.
Pharma pays well. AstraZeneca and GSK offer substantial long-term incentive plans that, when vested, can dwarf base salaries.
Banking has recovered. After a decade of post-financial-crisis restraint, banking CEO pay packages at HSBC, Barclays, and NatWest have crept back up — though they remain below pre-2008 levels in real terms.
Pay Structure
FTSE 100 CEO pay typically comprises:
- Base salary: 15-25% of total package
- Annual bonus: Up to 200% of salary, tied to financial KPIs
- Long-term incentives (LTIP): The largest component, typically vesting over 3 years
- Pension and benefits: Including car allowance, private healthcare, tax advice
How It Compares
UK CEO pay sits between European and US levels. The average FTSE 100 CEO earns significantly more than their DAX 40 or CAC 40 counterpart, but substantially less than S&P 500 peers — primarily due to smaller equity grants.
Explore the full ranking on our Highest-Paid Executives page, filtered by the UK market.