Fat Cats or Top Dogs? In defence of high CEO pay Business Every year in January the High Pay Centre (they’re “an independent, non-partisan think tank focused on the causes and consequences of economic inequality, with a particular interest in top pay,” since you asked) releases its Fat Cat report, pointing out the day on which a top CEO’s earnings surpass the median UK salary. This year, [...]
FTSE 100 defence stocks boosted by Trump’s calls for military spending hike Markets Shares in top FTSE 100 defence stocks were boosted on Thursday morning, following President Trump’s push for a 50 per cent boost to the US military budget. BAE Systems shares shot up 6.7 per cent following the market open to highs not seen since October, while Babcock rose by more than 2.2 per cent. President [...]
Time to get relaxed about high executive pay Opinion This week Anglo American walked back on a plan that would have seen its chief executive handed a tasty bonus for the completion of its merger with Teck after investor backlash. Shareholders may have had well-reasoned objections to a scheme that would have dealt boss Duncan Wanblad an award amounting to almost two-thirds of his [...]
AIM directors ruffle shareholder feathers with exec pay shenanigans August 7, 2025 It’s not just Tesla awarding eye-watering pay to execs. Even the bosses of the smallest of small caps are finding novel ways to boost their remuneration. That appears to be the case for the directors of AIM-listed property company DCI Advisors. In October 2023, DCI proposed an incentive plan which, by the calculations of the [...]
FTSE 100 pay revolts double as race with US rivals heats up July 4, 2025 Shareholder rebellions against FTSE 100 executives’ bumper paydays more than doubled in the first half of 2025 as companies boosted pay in a battle to compete with US giants. Pay revolts were up 120 per cent in the first six months of the year as the likes of Melrose, British Gas-owner Centrica and Univelever faced [...]
Higher executive pay is not a silver bullet for UK competitiveness March 4, 2025 Whilst competitive pay is undoubtedly a factor in attracting and retaining talent, it is rarely the sole, or even a major, determinant of a company’s decision to list in a particular market, says Paul Arathoon The recent moves by some of the FTSE 100’s largest companies, such as British American Tobacco and Compass Group, to [...]
FTSE bosses should be paid like top footballers, says ICAP founder December 11, 2024 Bosses of London-listed firms should be paid like the best footballers without facing a backlash, Michael Spencer has argued. The founder of brokerage ICAP and former Conservative party Treasurer said that to attract top talent to run major companies, the UK needed to tackle the “political hot potato” of FTSE bosses’ pay. “We don’t mind [...]
How to tell the right story on executive pay September 29, 2024 Ten years on from new reporting requirements on executive pay, companies have a chance to use their Directors’ Remuneration Reports to explain their decision making to stakeholders, says PwC’s Dan Harris It’s been over a decade since the government overhauled the requirements on what public companies have to report on directors’ remuneration. A key aim [...]
Wizz Air: Huge shareholder revolt over plans to hand boss bumper bonus September 26, 2024 Wizz Air has suffered a huge shareholder revolt against its plans to hand its chief executive a bumper pay deal. The airline is looking to give Jozsef Váradi a restricted share award which would represent 300 per cent of his £710,534 salary. The listed company has argued that Váradi’s compensation doesn’t reflect a unique “parade [...]
Games Workshop suffers major shareholder revolt after top bosses handed huge bonuses September 18, 2024 Warhammer maker Games Workshop has suffered a major shareholder revolt after handing millions in bonuses to its top bosses. The Nottingham-headquartered company saw almost 21 per cent vote against its remuneration report and nearly 27 per cent vote against its remuneration policy at its AGM today (Wednesday, 18 September). Following record sales and pre-tax profit [...]