Executive & Leadership
Salary Guide
Board, C-suite and senior leadership reward across listed, private and portfolio organisations in APAC.
The state of executive & leadership talent
Executive reward continued to rise through 2025, though the headline base figure tells only part of the story. Boards are rebalancing packages toward at-risk, performance-linked components — short- and long-term incentives now drive the majority of upside for chief executives and divisional leaders, while fixed pay growth has moderated to the mid-single digits.
Demand is sharpest for leaders who can evidence transformation under constraint: margin discipline, technology and AI adoption, and credible ESG and governance track records. Counter-offers and equity make-whole arrangements have become routine at the top of the market, lengthening close cycles on the most contested mandates.
Across the region, Singapore and Hong Kong command premiums for cross-border and pan-Asia remits, while Australian and New Zealand packages remain comparatively base-weighted. Succession risk is now a board-level agenda item: more organisations are commissioning external benchmarking and emergency-cover mapping before a vacancy arises rather than after.
What these roles pay in Q2 2026
Base salary, AUD '000 p.a. (excl. STI/LTI & equity). Bars show the typical low–high range; the marker is the market midpoint.
| Role | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Executive DirectorASX 200 / large private | $90k | $130k | $220k |
| ChairMid-large board | $180k | $280k | $520k |
| Chief Executive OfficerMid-market ($50–250m) | $350k | $520k | $800k |
| Chief Executive OfficerLarge / ASX 200 | $700k | $1100k | $2200k |
| Chief Operating OfficerEnterprise | $320k | $460k | $680k |
| Managing DirectorCountry / division | $300k | $420k | $640k |
| General ManagerBusiness unit | $220k | $300k | $430k |
Talent demand by segment
Year-on-year, 2025 → 2026
- CEO (mid-market) +5.5%
- COO / Operations +6.8%
- Non-Executive Director +7.5%
- General Manager +4.2%
Where supply is tightest
- Leaders with demonstrable AI and digital transformation outcomes, not just strategy decks.
- Board-ready candidates with cyber, risk and technology governance depth.
- Diverse executive slates at COO and CEO level remain materially under-supplied.
- Cross-border leaders fluent across both developed and emerging APAC markets.
What top talent now wants
- A larger, clearly structured at-risk component with transparent measurement.
- Equity or co-investment alignment, particularly in PE-backed mandates.
- Genuine board access and a credible mandate for change before accepting.
- Confidential, well-managed processes that protect their current standing.
How to win the hire
- Benchmark total package, not base — base-only offers lose contested candidates.
- Define success metrics before search; ambiguity at brief stage extends time-to-appoint.
- Run succession mapping proactively; emergency searches cost a premium and narrow the field.
- Expect make-whole and notice-period negotiation on every senior external hire.
Get the full Executive & Leadership Salary Guide
The complete edition adds location-by-location breakdowns, total-reward benchmarks (incentives and equity), diversity and retention data, and a 12-month outlook for every role band.
- City-level ranges across Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Hong Kong and Auckland
- Total-reward view — base, short- and long-term incentives
- Retention, counter-offer and time-to-hire benchmarks
- Forward outlook and reward recommendations
Need numbers specific to your structure and location? Altera's Talent Advisory practice delivers bespoke, defensible reward benchmarking. Book a consultation →
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View guide →Want reward data specific to your roles?
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