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The Top 10 Highest Paid CEOs of 2008: Pay hits the gas pedal as the
economy hits the brakes
#1: Blackstone Partnership Units, or 25 percent of the equity
he was granted in 2007. Given that the other 75
Stephen Schwarzman, Chief Executive Officer percent of his $4.7 billion 2007 equity grant will
and founder of Blackstone Group, L.P., was the vest in equal installments over the next four
highest paid CEO in the United States in 2008, years, it is reasonably safe to assume that Mr.
but he was hardly a blip on The Corporate Schwarzman will remain at the top of highest
Library’s CEO pay radar in 2007. With a salary paid CEOs list, or close to it, for a few years to
of $175,000 and total realized compensation of come.
$354,482, Mr. Schwarzman certainly didn’t
stack up against his financial services industry As a pre‐IPO owner, much of the equity
counterparts in terms of realized compensation received by Mr. Schwarzman is a
compensation. However, these pay figures redistribution of his initial investment in the
represent only about a half year of earnings company. Gains on top of this investment are
(and no equity) as The Blackstone Group only derived mainly from the performance of the
completed its initial public offering in June firm’s investment funds. Further, these “carried
2007. Mr. Schwarzman’s interest” payments are largely deferred for
awards had no time to Total Realized
Company Name CEO Name Industry
Compensation
bear fruit. Blackstone Group L.P.
Stephen A. Schwarzman Financial Services $702,440,573
(The)
In 2008, Mr. Schwarzman Oracle Corporation Lawrence J. Ellison
Computer
$556,976,600
Software
saw an increase in total Occidental Petroleum Petroleum & Coal
Ray R. Irani $222,639,705
realized compensation of Corporation Extraction
Petroleum
more than 200,000 Hess Corporation John B. Hess
Products
$159,566,940
© 2009 The Corporate Library LLC (877) 479‐7500 www.thecorporatelibrary.com
vested in the amount of more than $18 million excess of $28 million. His 2008 base salary also
in 2008, resulting in total realized includes $50,000 in fees to serve as a director
compensation in excess of $90 million. on the company’s board, the annual retainer
typically bestowed upon non‐employee
#9: Nabors Industries directors.
© 2009 The Corporate Library LLC (877) 479‐7500 www.thecorporatelibrary.com
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