The Most Overpaid CEOs: Are Fund Managers Asleep at The Wheel?

In 2015, As You Sow embarked on a mission to identify and report on the most overpaid CEOs of the S&P 500 and whether or not pension funds and financial managers held companies accountable for such excessive compensation. At the time, we found that far too many funds and managers were rubber stamps for these excesses.

This 2019 study is the fifth report of our research results. During these five years, what has changed? Quite a bit, and not enough. Significantly, more large shareholders are voting against more CEO pay packages. Those who are not are more isolated and defensive.

Companies have responded to this shareholder opposition. A February 2019 Equilar analysis, Companies Shift CEO Pay Mix Following Multiple Say on Pay Failures, found that “The average CEO total compensation at companies that failed Say on Pay (shareholder votes) decreased significantly from 2011 to 2017, a total of 44.9% over that time frame.” Read Full Article - Harvard Law School, March 30, 2019