Two Indian-origin CEOs, Nikesh Arora and Satya Nadella, have made it to the top 10 list of highest-paid CEOs in Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 companies for 2023, according to an Associated Press and Equilar study.
Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, ranks second with a compensation package of US$ 151.43 million. The firms’ board justified his high compensation, stating, “A significant equity award was necessary to retain and engage Arora,” reflecting his impact on the company’s cybersecurity dominance.
Arora, born in Ghaziabad, India, holds a degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, as well as advanced degrees from Northeastern University and Boston College.
Satya Nadella, CEO and chairman of Microsoft Corp., ranks 10th with $48.51 million in total compensation. He took over as Microsoft’s CEO in 2014, following Steve Ballmer, and became chairman in 2021.
Nadella, originally from Hyderabad, India, completed his education at Manipal Institute of Technology before moving to the U.S. to study at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Chicago. His Indian background has been a defining aspect of his leadership style, blending global perspectives to advance Microsoft’s position in cloud computing and digital transformation.
Hock Tan of Broadcom leads the list with US$ 161.83 million in compensation, while others in the top 10 include Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone (US$ 119.78 million) and Christopher Winfrey of Charter Communications (US$ 89.08 million).
The AFL-CIO noted that the average compensation for S&P 500 CEOs rose to US$ 17.7 million in 2023, reflecting a 6 percent increase due to strong corporate performance and stock gains.
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