What Australia’s Highest-Paid CEOs Are Earning In 2025

• Thanks to surging gold prices, discoveries of “critical minerals,” and the odd acquisition, mining CEOs are currently among the highest-paid in all of Australia.
• By the metric of realised pay, Bill Beament of Develop Global is #1; while reported pay once again earns Macquarie Group’s Shemara Wikramanayake the title of highest-paid CEO in Australia.
• Across Australia’s top 300 chief executives, the average compensation has been raised by approximately 10% over the past year.

Despite all the recent tech booms, insanity of the real estate market, and minting of lifestyle-based millionaires, Australia’s most prized asset is still what lies in the ground. Naturally, the highest-paid CEOs in this sunburnt nation of ours are generally in mining.

According to the BOSS annual CEO pay survey – prepared by data firm OpenDirector and executive search firm Odgers (via Australian Financial Review) – the top 300 chief executives in Australia climbed by 10% to an average of $3.86 million this past year. Largely driven by the growth enjoyed by mining operations.

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On the reported earnings side of things, Macquarie Group’s Shemara Wikramanayake claimed the throne for the fifth consecutive year at a touch before $30 million. In terms of realised compensation, however, she came in at fifth – behind mining exploration company Develop Global’s Bill Beament ($59.6 million), healthcare sector fixtures Michael Farrell ($45.6 million) and Vikesh Ramsunder ($26.8 million), as well as William Oplinger, who runs the world’s biggest third-party producer of alumina in Alcoa.

“The healthcare and mining sectors stood out for having the highest gap between statutory reported and realised remuneration, driven by chief executives cashing in on long-term incentives now worth much more than when they were granted,” explains Patrick Durkin, Deputy Editor of BOSS.

“Five of the Top 10 companies with the highest-paid chief executives this year came from the materials sector, and two from healthcare. In contrast to recent years, there was only one from property and one from financial services in the Top 10.”

Check out the 15 highest-paid CEOs in Australia below (and everyone else here).

The Highest-Paid CEOs in Australia

Reported Pay Rankings

Calculated based on accounting rules (accrual basis), e.g. estimated value of future compensation such as unvested equity grants.

1. Shemara Wikramanayake (Macquarie Group) – $29.3 million
2. Michael Farrell (ResMed) – $22.6 million
3. William Oplinger (Alcoa) – $20.8 million
4. Thomas Palmer (Newmont) – $19.9 million
5. Aaron Erter (James Hardie) – $14.3 million
6. Gregory Goodman (Goodman Group) – $14.2 million
7. Paul McKenzie (CSL) – $13.8 million
8. Michael Henry (BHP) – $13.1 million
9. Peter Konieczny (Amcor) – $13 million
10. Ryan Stokes (SGH) – $12.7 million
11. Jakob Stausbolm (Rio Tinto) – $10.8 million
12. Trevor Croker (Aristocrat Leisure) – $10.6 million
13. Matthew Wilson (Light & Wonder) – $10.6 million
14. Graham Chipchase (Brambles) – $8.7 million
15. Chris Ashton (Worley) – $8.6 million

Realised Pay Rankings

Also known as “take-home pay,” it refers to actual cash and equity received in a given year (not beholden by the same accounting disclosure standards as reported pay).

1. Bill Beament (Develop Global) – $59.6 million
2. Michael Farrell (ResMed) – $45.6 million
3. Vikesh Ramsunder (Sigma Healthcare) – $26.8 million
4. William Oplinger (Alcoa) – $26.1 million
5. Shemara Wikramanayake (Macquarie Group) – $24 million
6. Paul Savich (WA1 Resources) – $20.8 million
7. Gregory Goodman (Goodman Group) – $14.2 million
8. Anastasios Arima (IperionX) – $17.8 million
9. Jakob Stausbolm (Rio Tinto) – $15.6 million
10. Raleigh Finlayson (Genesis Minerals) – $14.9 million
11. Michael Henry (BHP) – $13.7 million
12. Graham Chipchase (Brambles) – $12.9 million
13. Robert Scott (Wesfarmers) – $11.3 million
14. Luke Cragh (Ora Banda Mining) – $11.1 million
15. Trevor Croker (Aristocrat Leisure) – $10.7 million