Executive Salary Guide

The short answer. Most UK executive base salaries sit between roughly £90,000 and £400,000, with listed-company chief executives well above that once bonus and long-term incentives are counted. The High Pay Centre puts median FTSE 100 CEO pay at £4.58 million for 2024/25. Below that level, where the role sits within the range comes down to five things: the size and complexity of the business, who owns it, the sector, the location and the individual’s track record.

• SME and owner-managed businesses: C-suite base salaries mostly fall between £90,000 and £250,000, with modest bonuses and limited equity.
• Mid-market and PE-backed businesses: base salaries of around £130,000 to £400,000, with the real upside in sweet equity rather than cash.
• Listed companies: published, shareholder-approved packages where bonus and LTIP can be worth several times base salary.
• Interim and fractional leaders: paid by the day rather than by salary, usually through a limited company, at the rates set out in the interim section below.

The sections below give role-by-role ranges, explain how to read them, and cover the tax and pension rules that now shape how senior packages are put together. If you are benchmarking a live role, our executive search team can give you a current market view based on the candidates actually available for your brief.

UK executive salary guide — C-suite pay benchmarks, total package structures, and the five factors that determine what any given executive role should pay

In 2026, UK executive salaries span a range wider than any single benchmark figure can meaningfully represent — from under £80,000 at early-stage startups to over £4 million in total package at FTSE 100 level. The variation is driven by five factors: company size, ownership structure, sector, geography, and individual track record. Understanding how each of these applies to a specific role is the work that turns a salary benchmark into a credible compensation decision. This guide provides the C-suite pay data you need, with links to dedicated guides for each role where detailed benchmarking, sector variation, and bonus and incentive structures are covered in full.

The Five Factors That Determine Executive Pay

Company size. Company size — measured by revenue, complexity, and headcount — is the primary driver of base salary at every C-suite function. The relationship is not strictly linear: a £50 million revenue business with a highly complex international structure or a regulated operating environment will pay more for its executive team than a £100 million business with a straightforward domestic model. But within comparable levels of complexity, revenue scale is the most reliable predictor of where a role will sit in the market. The benchmarks in each of our role-specific guides are structured primarily around company size for this reason.

Ownership structure. Private equity-backed, listed, founder-owned, and institutionally-owned businesses have materially different compensation philosophies, and the same role title at the same revenue scale can carry very different packages depending on who owns the business. PE-backed businesses typically pay base salaries at or slightly above market rate for the scale, with the primary financial incentive for the executive in sweet equity — the right to co-invest alongside the fund and participate in the exit. Listed businesses pay the most transparent total packages, disclosed in annual reports and subject to shareholder scrutiny, with LTIPs adding significant variable upside to base and annual bonus. Founder-owned businesses are the most variable — compensation is frequently below listed company norms at the same scale but with lower governance overhead and, in some cases, meaningful equity participation if the founder is planning an eventual exit.

Sector. Financial services, technology, and professional services consistently pay the highest C-suite base salaries for comparable business size. The premium reflects regulatory complexity in financial services, talent competition in technology, and the revenue-per-head economics of professional services that support higher compensation density across the business. Manufacturing, retail, and public sector businesses pay toward the lower end of each range. The sector premium is most pronounced at mid-market and larger scale; at startup and early-stage level it narrows significantly.

Geography. London and the South East command a premium of 20–30% over equivalent executive roles in the Midlands, North of England, and Scotland for most C-suite functions. The premium reflects both the cost of living differential and the concentration of larger and more complex businesses in the capital. The regional gap has narrowed at senior C-suite level over the past five years as hybrid working has made exceptional candidates more willing to consider roles outside their immediate geography, and as businesses outside London have responded by competing more aggressively on total package. Edinburgh carries a premium in financial services and energy; Bristol and Cambridge in technology.

Individual track record. A candidate with a directly relevant and demonstrably successful track record — who has done the specific job the role requires at comparable or greater scale, and who can evidence the commercial outcomes they drove — commands 15–25% above the market rate for a candidate who meets the experience requirements but without the same specificity of match. This premium is most defensible when the board can articulate precisely why it is being paid — what the candidate brings that the alternatives do not — and most problematic when it is paid reactively under competitive offer pressure without that analysis.

C-Suite Salary Benchmarks at a Glance — UK

Chief Executive Officer. SME CEO base salary: £120,000–£250,000. Mid-market CEO: £200,000–£400,000. Listed CEO total package: £500,000–£4.58m (High Pay Centre FTSE 100 median). Interim CEO day rate: £1,000–£3,500. For full data by company size, sector, and PE equity structure, see our CEO Salary UK guide.

Chief Operating Officer. SME COO base: £100,000–£160,000. Mid-market COO: £160,000–£250,000. Large corporate COO: £250,000–£500,000+. Glassdoor UK COO median: £137,834. ERI London COO average: £241,498. Interim COO day rate: £800–£2,000. For full data, see our COO Salary UK guide.

Chief Financial Officer. SME CFO base: £90,000–£150,000. Mid-market CFO: £130,000–£200,000. Large corporate CFO: £200,000–£400,000+. London CFO market average (Robert Walters 2025): £190,000–£300,000. Interim CFO day rate: £700–£2,000. For full data, see our CFO Salary UK guide. For FD and CFO salary detail from our specialist sister company, see FD Capital’s CFO salary guide.

Chief Technology Officer. Mid-market CTO base: £150,000–£250,000. Large corporate CTO: £200,000–£350,000+. Technology and fintech businesses weight heavily toward equity at growth stage. Interim CTO day rate: £800–£1,800. For full data, see our CTO recruitment page.

Chief Marketing Officer. Mid-market CMO base: £100,000–£180,000. Large corporate CMO: £180,000–£350,000. Annual bonus: 20–40% of base at mid-market, 50–100% at listed level. Interim CMO day rate: £700–£2,000. For full data, see our CMO recruitment page.

Chief Information Officer. Mid-market CIO base: £100,000–£180,000. Large corporate and regulated CIO: £200,000–£350,000+. Financial services and critical infrastructure command a premium. Interim CIO day rate: £800–£2,000. For full data, see our CIO job description.

Chief People Officer / HR Director. Mid-market HR Director base: £85,000–£145,000. CHRO at large corporate: £150,000–£300,000+. CIPD HR Director median: £95,000–£110,000 (mid-market, broad sector). Interim HR Director day rate: £500–£1,800. For full data, see our HR Director Salary UK guide.

Sales Director. Mid-market Sales Director OTE: £160,000–£260,000. Enterprise Sales Director OTE: £250,000–£450,000+. OTE multiples in technology: 1.8x–2.5x base; manufacturing: 1.3x–1.6x base. Interim Sales Director day rate: £600–£1,800. For full data including commission structure design, see our Sales Director Salary UK guide.

Basis of these figures. Where a public source is named above, the figure is taken from it. Elsewhere these are indicative ranges from our search work and published surveys, not a single dataset, and they should be read as a starting point for a conversation rather than a quote. As a cross-check, the Robert Walters 2026 CEO salary data shows UK CEO base pay from about £90,000 at smaller businesses to £300,000 and above at large organisations, with London at £150,000 to £300,000+, which is consistent with the SME and mid-market CEO ranges here. Robert Walters’ published COO and CTO data (London COO £150,000 to £350,000+; London CTO £165,000 to £310,000) also sits within the COO and CTO ranges shown. The interim day rates, CMO, CIO and Sales Director figures, and the named Glassdoor, ERI, Robert Walters CFO and CIPD figures, have not been re-checked against a current public source for this edition, so treat them as indicative.

How to read these ranges

A salary range for a job title is only useful once you know which end of it your business belongs at. Before comparing a figure on this page with an offer, a current package or a candidate’s expectations, check it against the five points below.

Company size and complexity

The SME, mid-market and large corporate bands above are the first filter. As a working rule, SME means a business where the executive team is small and the role covers a lot of ground; mid-market means a business with a full leadership team, a board that meets formally and, often, an outside investor; large corporate means multiple divisions, international operations or a listed parent. Complexity can move a role up a band: a smaller business with overseas subsidiaries, regulated activities or a heavy acquisition programme will usually pay closer to the next band than its revenue alone suggests.

Sector

Financial services, technology and professional services pay towards the top of each range. In FCA-regulated firms, roles that carry a Senior Manager Function attract a further premium because the individual takes on personal regulatory accountability; our SMF salary guide covers those roles separately. Manufacturing, distribution, retail and much of the not-for-profit and public sector pay towards the lower end.

PE-backed versus listed

Do not compare a PE-backed base salary with a listed-company total package. A private equity portfolio company typically pays a solid base and a cash bonus, and expects the executive to make their money through sweet equity at exit. A listed company pays a disclosed package in which annual bonus and LTIP can each be worth more than base salary. The two can produce similar outcomes over a five-year hold, with very different risk profiles. Our private equity salary guide sets out how portfolio company packages are usually built.

London weighting

London roles sit at the top of most ranges, and the 20–30% premium described above is a reasonable starting assumption. The gap is narrower for roles that are genuinely hybrid or national, and wider where the role needs daily presence in the City or a London head office. Published regional data reflects the same pattern: for managing directors, for example, Robert Walters shows London at £120,000 to £250,000+ against £95,000 to £180,000 in the Midlands.

Bonus, LTIP and equity

Unless a figure is labelled as total package or OTE, the ranges on this page are base salary. Add the expected bonus (as a percentage of base), the annualised value of any LTIP award and a realistic view of what any equity is worth before you compare one offer with another. A candidate moving from a listed company to a private business is often giving up unvested LTIP awards, and the buy-out of those awards can matter more to the decision than the headline salary.

Managing Director salary (UK)

Managing Director is one of the most widely used and least consistent titles in UK business. In an owner-managed company the MD is often the most senior executive and effectively the chief executive. In a group, an MD may run a single subsidiary or division and report to a group CEO. Pay follows that difference: a divisional MD inside a larger group is usually paid closer to a mid-market COO, while the MD of a standalone business is benchmarked against the CEO ranges above.

Public data supports a wide spread. The Robert Walters 2026 MD salary data gives £120,000 to £250,000+ in London, £100,000 to £220,000 in the North and £95,000 to £180,000 in the Midlands. What moves a role up that range is profit-and-loss responsibility, the size of the team, whether the MD is expected to deliver an exit, and how much of the strategy they set rather than execute. For a fuller breakdown, see our managing director salary guide; for the role itself, the managing director job description; and for hiring support, our MD recruitment service.

CEO salary UK: what the average CEO earns

There is no single “average CEO salary” in the UK that means much on its own, because the population runs from founders of small companies to the heads of FTSE 100 groups. The useful answer is by segment. On the ranges above, an SME CEO typically earns a base of £120,000 to £250,000 and a mid-market CEO £200,000 to £400,000. At the very top, the High Pay Centre’s analysis of FTSE 100 annual reports gives a median total package of £4.58 million for 2024/25, most of it variable pay rather than salary.

The factors that drive CEO pay are the same as for the wider C-suite, but they bite harder. Investors pay for a CEO who has done the job before at the same scale, and a first-time CEO will usually be offered the lower end of the range with more of the package tied to performance. In a PE-backed business, the equity stake is normally the largest part of the economic value. In a regulated firm, the CEO will usually hold SMF1, which narrows the candidate pool and pushes pay up. The CEO job description sets out what the role covers, and our CEO recruitment page explains how we run these searches.

Chief Operating Officer salary

COO pay depends heavily on what the business means by the role. Some COOs run operations, supply chain and customer service; others are effectively the deputy CEO, with finance, technology and people reporting to them as well. The broader the remit, the closer the package sits to the CEO band. The ranges above (£100,000 to £160,000 at SME level, £160,000 to £250,000 in the mid-market and £250,000 to £500,000+ at large corporates) are consistent with published 2026 data from Robert Walters, which shows London COO base pay of £150,000 to £350,000+ and notes that total packages can exceed £500,000 in large or PE-backed organisations.

The premium roles are those where the COO is leading a defined programme: an operational turnaround, a multi-site integration after an acquisition, or preparation for sale. See the COO job description and our COO recruitment service for more detail.

Sales Director salary

Sales Director pay is the one area of this guide where base salary tells you least. Packages are set as on-target earnings (OTE), and the ratio between base and OTE varies with the sales model. On the figures above, mid-market Sales Director OTE runs at £160,000 to £260,000 and enterprise OTE at £250,000 to £450,000+, with technology businesses paying OTE of around 1.8 to 2.5 times base and manufacturing closer to 1.3 to 1.6 times.

The things that move a Sales Director package are deal size, length of sales cycle, whether the role carries a personal number or manages a team, and how predictable the pipeline is. Commission plan design (accelerators, caps, clawback on cancelled contracts) matters as much as the headline OTE, because a good candidate will model what they would actually have earned last year under your plan. The sales director job description and our sales director recruitment page cover the role and how we approach it.

HR Director salary

HR Director pay has moved up as boards have put more weight on workforce planning, reward, employee relations and culture. The ranges above give a mid-market HR Director base of £85,000 to £145,000 and a Chief HR Officer at a large corporate £150,000 to £300,000+. Independent data points the same way: Robert Half’s UK salary guide projects HR Director pay at £93,750 at the 25th percentile, £111,500 at the median and £131,000 at the 75th percentile.

What lifts an HR Director package is board membership (or a direct line to the CEO and remuneration committee), responsibility for a large or unionised workforce, international scope and experience of restructuring or post-acquisition harmonisation. The HR director job description sets out the role, and our HR director recruitment service covers permanent, interim and part-time appointments.

Chief Technology Officer salary

CTO pay splits into two markets. In established businesses, the CTO is paid much like any other C-suite executive, on the mid-market (£150,000 to £250,000) and large corporate (£200,000 to £350,000+) ranges above. In venture-backed technology companies, the CTO is often a co-founder or early hire whose cash pay is lower and whose equity is significant. Published 2025 figures from Robert Walters put London CTO base pay at £165,000 to £310,000, and £90,000 to £200,000 in the North and Midlands.

The drivers are product complexity, the size of the engineering organisation, security and regulatory exposure, and whether the CTO is building a platform or running an existing estate. Our technology salary guide covers CTO, CIO, CISO and CAIO pay in more depth, and the CTO job description sets out what the role covers.

Director salary UK

“Director” covers a huge spread of roles in the UK, from the director of a two-person company to a functional director in a FTSE group. For context, the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings puts median gross annual pay for all full-time UK employees at £39,039 in April 2025, and records that managers, directors and senior officials saw some of the strongest growth in weekly earnings that year. Senior functional directors in established businesses typically sit well above that, below the C-suite ranges shown on this page.

For a director-level role, the questions are the same as for the C-suite: what is the size of the budget and team, does the role sit on the board, and does it carry statutory or regulatory responsibility? A statutory director has legal duties under the Companies Act whatever their job title, and that should be reflected in the package and in directors’ and officers’ insurance. Our director salary guide covers functional director roles in more detail, and the C-suite salary guide brings the chief officer roles together in one place.

Base Salary, Total Package, and the Components That Matter

Base salary is the most commonly benchmarked element of executive compensation but frequently not the most important one. Total package — base plus annual bonus plus long-term incentive plus equity plus benefits — is the figure that matters for both attraction and retention, and the gap between base salary and total package widens significantly with business size and ownership structure.

Annual bonus. Annual bonus for C-suite executives typically runs at 20–40% of base at mid-market private company level, 50–100% at PE-backed businesses, and up to 150–200% of base at maximum in listed company structures. Bonus is typically structured against a blend of company financial performance targets — revenue, EBITDA, or profit against plan — and individual objectives linked to the executive’s specific mandate. The design of the bonus plan — what it measures, what the threshold and maximum payout levels are, and whether targets are genuinely achievable — is as important as the headline percentage.

Long-term incentives (LTIPs). LTIPs are the primary mechanism by which listed companies create significant total compensation above base and annual bonus. Annual LTIP awards at listed company C-suite level are typically worth 100–200% of base salary at target, vesting over three years subject to performance conditions — usually a blend of total shareholder return, earnings per share growth, and strategic milestones. The Financial Reporting Council and the Investment Association publish guidance on LTIP design that remuneration committees draw on when structuring these awards.

Private equity equity participation. PE-backed C-suite executives typically receive sweet equity — the right to co-invest alongside the fund in the business and to participate in the upside on exit. Sweet equity participation at C-suite level typically ranges from 0.5% to 3% of the equity pool depending on the seniority of the role, the stage of the investment, and the contribution to the value creation plan. The economic value of this participation depends entirely on the exit outcome — in a successful exit it can represent multiples of annual base salary; in an unsuccessful one it may be worthless. Understanding the equity mechanics — vesting schedule, leaver provisions, and ratchet structure — is the most important element of any PE-backed offer negotiation.

Benefits. Standard C-suite benefits packages include private medical insurance for the individual and family, pension contributions of 10–15% of base salary (or cash in lieu), life assurance at 4x salary, car allowance of £8,000–£15,000 or company car, and income protection insurance. At listed companies, pension contributions for executive directors should align with the workforce rate under UK Corporate Governance Code guidelines. Notice periods at C-suite level are typically six to twelve months, with malus and clawback provisions on bonus and LTIP now expected in listed and PE-backed businesses.

Tax, pension and National Insurance: what changes the cost of a package

Three sets of rules now have a direct effect on how senior packages are structured. Each is worth checking with your tax adviser before an offer goes out.

Employer National Insurance

From 6 April 2025, the employer rate of secondary Class 1 National Insurance rose from 13.8% to 15%, and the secondary threshold fell from £9,100 to £5,000 a year (HMRC policy paper). On an executive salary, almost the whole of the pay is now subject to 15% employer NICs, and cash bonuses attract the same charge. This has made salary sacrifice into pension more attractive to employers and has added to the cost difference between an employed executive and an interim engaged through a limited company.

Pension annual allowance and taper

The pension annual allowance is £60,000 for 2025/26 and 2026/27. For high earners it tapers: where threshold income exceeds £200,000 and adjusted income exceeds £260,000, the allowance is reduced, down to a minimum of £10,000 (HMRC pension schemes rates). Many executives on the upper ranges in this guide are affected, so a headline “pension contribution of 10–15% of base” is often paid partly or wholly as cash in lieu. That cash is taxable and carries employer NICs, which should be factored into the cost of the package.

Carried interest from 6 April 2026

For investment professionals at private equity and other fund managers, carried interest is taxed under a new regime from 6 April 2026. It is now brought within the income tax framework and treated as trading profits, subject to income tax and Class 4 NICs, with only 72.5% of qualifying carried interest brought into charge (HM Treasury and HMRC policy paper). Whether carry qualifies depends on the average holding period of the fund’s investments. This regime applies to fund managers’ carry, not to the sweet equity held by portfolio company executives, which is a separate investment in the business and is normally structured to be taxed as a capital gain. Candidates moving between fund-side and company-side roles should take advice on which regime applies.

Interim Executive Rates — Overview

Interim executive day rates reflect the seniority of the role, the complexity of the mandate, and the urgency of the engagement. For straightforward coverage during a permanent hire process, day rates run at the lower end of each range. For transformation, turnaround, or post-acquisition integration mandates, rates are significantly higher. All rates are before employer’s National Insurance contributions, which add 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year to the cost for engagements where the interim is engaged as an employee; the majority of interim executives at senior level operate through a personal service company.

As a broad reference, interim C-suite day rates in 2026 run from £600–£800 per day for smaller business or less complex mandates to £1,500–£3,500 per day for FTSE or major crisis or turnaround assignments. The specific ranges for each role are covered in the dedicated salary guides linked above.

How fractional and interim day rates work

Interim and fractional executives are priced differently from permanent hires, and the two models are easy to confuse. An interim executive works full-time or close to it for a fixed period, usually three to twelve months, to cover a gap or deliver a defined project. A fractional executive works a set number of days a week or month on an open-ended basis, giving a smaller business senior capability it does not need, or cannot yet afford, full-time. Our guide to fractional, interim and permanent hiring sets out when each model fits.

What the day rate covers

A day rate is an all-in fee for the executive’s time. There is no pension, holiday pay, sick pay, bonus or equity, and the client does not pay employer NICs where the executive works through their own limited company and the engagement sits outside IR35. That is why a day rate looks high when multiplied by 220 working days and compared with a salary: the comparison should be with the fully loaded cost of an employee, not their base pay. Any agency or search fee is normally either built into the day rate charged to the client or charged on top as a margin, and should be made clear at the outset.

How fractional engagements are priced

Fractional roles are normally priced as a day rate multiplied by an agreed commitment, for example one or two days a week, and invoiced monthly. Some are set as a fixed monthly retainer for a defined number of days, with additional days charged at the day rate when needed, such as during a fundraise, audit or sale. Because the executive is working across several clients, fractional day rates tend to sit at or slightly below the interim rate for the same role, and agreeing what happens when the business needs more time is one of the most important parts of the contract. See our fractional C-suite service for how we place these roles.

IR35 and employment status

In the private sector, medium and large clients are responsible for deciding whether the off-payroll working rules (IR35) apply to an engagement; small companies leave that assessment to the contractor’s own company. An interim executive who is in practice integrated into the business, sits on the executive committee and is directed like an employee is more likely to be inside IR35, which changes the economics for both sides. Settle the status position before agreeing a rate. Our interim executive recruitment team can talk you through how this is usually handled.

Executive Pay Trends

Three trends are shaping executive compensation in 2026. First, the continued compression of the gap between London and regional markets at senior C-suite level — driven by hybrid working and the growing willingness of boards outside the capital to compete on total package for exceptional candidates. Second, the growing prevalence of equity-style instruments in businesses that were not previously PE-backed or listed — privately-owned businesses are increasingly using management equity pools to attract and retain C-suite talent they cannot match on cash. Third, the explicit inclusion of people, sustainability, and ESG metrics in bonus structures at larger businesses, reflecting board recognition that the non-financial performance indicators that drive long-term value need to be measured and incentivised alongside the financial ones.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average CEO salary in the UK?

It depends on the size of the business. On the ranges in this guide, SME chief executives typically earn a base of £120,000 to £250,000 and mid-market CEOs £200,000 to £400,000. The median FTSE 100 CEO package was £4.58 million in 2024/25, according to the High Pay Centre, but that figure is mostly bonus and long-term incentives.

How much does a Managing Director earn in the UK?

Published 2026 data from Robert Walters gives £120,000 to £250,000+ in London and £95,000 to £180,000 in the Midlands. The MD of a standalone business is usually paid against CEO ranges; a divisional MD inside a group is often paid closer to a COO.

Is base salary the right figure to benchmark?

Only as a starting point. Compare total package: base plus expected bonus, the annual value of any LTIP, equity, pension and benefits. Sales roles should be compared on OTE, and PE-backed roles on the likely value of the equity at exit.

How much more do London executive roles pay?

For most C-suite roles, expect a premium of around 20–30% over the Midlands, the North and Scotland. The gap is smaller for hybrid or national roles and larger where daily presence in London is required.

Why does an interim day rate look so much higher than a salary?

Because it has to cover everything an employer would otherwise pay on top of salary, including pension, holiday, benefits and, outside IR35, employer NICs, as well as the gaps between assignments. Compare a day rate with the fully loaded cost of an employee over the same period, not with base salary.

Do the pension annual allowance rules affect executive packages?

Yes. The annual allowance is £60,000, but it tapers for those with adjusted income above £260,000, down to a minimum of £10,000. Many senior executives therefore take part of their pension contribution as taxable cash in lieu.

How should we set the salary for a role we have never hired before?

Start from the ranges here, adjust for the five factors, then test the number against the market before the role goes live. A short market-mapping exercise as part of an executive search will show what the candidates you actually want are earning now and what it would take to move them. You can also contact us for an initial view on a single role.