Updated
Updated · WWD · Jul 27
WWD Finds 23 Fashion CEOs Topped $10 Million, Led by Nike's $36.3 Million Hill
Updated
Updated · WWD · Jul 27

WWD Finds 23 Fashion CEOs Topped $10 Million, Led by Nike's $36.3 Million Hill

1 articles · Updated · WWD · Jul 27

Summary

  • $36.3 million put Nike CEO Elliott Hill atop WWD’s U.S. fashion and retail pay study, which found 23 executives received more than $10 million last year.
  • Average pay kept rising across the sector: consumer durables and apparel CEO compensation climbed 4.5% to $8.4 million last year, versus 5% to $17.5 million in the S&P 500.
  • Boards and advisers said much of the headline pay is stock- and incentive-based rather than cash, with peer benchmarking and pay-for-performance frameworks steadily pushing compensation higher.
  • Nike said 92% of Hill’s target annual compensation is at risk; his guaranteed portion was $2.9 million, about 60 times the company’s median employee pay of $48,695.
  • Realized-pay data showed the strongest increases tracked strong performance: Tapestry CEO Joanne Crevoiserat’s pay rose 216% to $12.6 million, while Ralph Lauren CEO Patrice Louvet’s climbed 179% to $46.2 million.

Insights

If most of a retail CEO's pay is truly at risk, who really pays the ultimate price when corporate performance unexpectedly crashes?
With retail facing store closures and AI disruption, are multimillion-dollar CEO paychecks a reward for success or a systemic market failure?
As the SEC considers rolling back disclosure rules in 2026, what hidden executive windfalls might retail boards soon conceal from everyday investors?