Coronavirus Crisis Dents Salaries, Not Stock Awards, for Many CEOs
By: Wall Street Journal
June 3, 2020
Hundreds of U.S. companies reduced salaries for their chief executives as the coronavirus pandemic swept across American business, a reversal for a group of leaders that until this year has ridden a bull market to record compensation.
Big-company CEOs had their richest paydays ever in 2019, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows. But in March and April many took large cuts to their salaries after the deadly virus crippled global commerce. For 2020, few so far changed the equity awards that make up the bulk of executive compensation and the value of which is tied to the stock market.
Unlike prior years, now “the question is not how much of an increase are we giving over the normal salary; it’s when do we even restore the old salaries,” said Robin Ferracone, CEO of compensation consulting firm Farient Advisors LLC.
One reason corporate boards have been slow to make bigger compensation changes: uncertainty over how long the economic slowdown will last, what its ultimate repercussions will be and how investors will react. After plunging, the stock market has rebounded from its March lows.
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