London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

The CEO of a company you've probably never heard of earned $211 million in compensation last year - and the title of highest-paid chief executive, according to a new ranking

The CEO of a company you've probably never heard of earned $211 million in compensation last year - and the title of highest-paid chief executive, according to a new ranking

Paycom founder and CEO Chad Richison makes about $20 million a year, and will have to hit aggressive performance goals to get his bonus compensation.
Jeff Bezos may be the world's wealthiest man, but his $1.7 million pay package from Amazon was nowhere close to making the list of the highest compensated CEOs in 2020.

The top spot on the New York Times' list of industry titans, which includes the likes of GE,Netflix, and JPMorgan Chase, goes to a cloud-based HR management software provider based in Oklahoma City called Paycom.

CEO Chad Richison's compensation package topped out at $211 million in 2020.

Richison founded Paycom in 1998, pioneering the employee self-service approach to HR management, which paved the way for things like enrolling in benefits or checking your pay stub from your phone.

The company now serves 31,000 clients with roughly 5 million individual profiles, mostly among mid-sized businesses with up to 5,000 employees.

As it turns out, Richison won't see the vast majority of this year's compensation package for several more years, as the stock-based award is part of a long-term incentive plan detailed in the the company's 2021 proxy statement.

In fact, Richison's actual pay for 2020 will come out more in the range of $20 million if Paycom's share price doesn't hit certain targets.

That's still a pretty high number, but a look at the company's recent performance would suggest Richison is doing a good job as CEO. The company's stock has outperformed S&P's index of software companies by a shattering margin, with 26% annual returns since 2017.

Paycom seems to buck the narrative of wealthy CEOs being rewarded despite business being battered by the pandemic, with several awards for management and worker satisfaction, including one from Glassdoor for leadership during the COVID-19 crisis.

With this compensation package, the board is showing it wants Richison to keep it up.

In order for Richison to receive the full long-term incentive worth about $175 million, Paycom's stock would have to climb from its current $400 value to $1,000 over the next six years and $1,750 over the next ten.

Richison's award structure "requires significant value creation for them before he can realize any value from the grant," Jason Clark, chair of Paycom's compensation committee, said in a statement to Insider.

"This grant further aligns our CEO's total compensation with the Company's sustained growth over the next decade and provides a strong incentive to continue building the Company's value," he added.

Richison will not be eligible for further equity grants until 2026.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×