Woman named as highest paid CEO in Australia for first time ever
<p>A woman has been named the highest paid CEO in Australia for the first time in history.</p>
<p>57-year-old Macquarie Group Chief Executive Shemara Wikramanayake earned a staggering $18 million throughout the last financial year.</p>
<p>The former corporate lawyer earned $5 million more than the next corporate boss and is just one of four women to make the top 50 in OpenDirector's annual CEO pay report for the<span> </span><em><a href="https://www.afr.com/">Australian Financial Review</a>. </em></p>
<p>Wikramanayake is the daughter of Sri Lankan migrant and earned a base salary of $722,000 - however it was her remuneration package that swelled with performance bonuses and share options.</p>
<p>Shockingly, the big boss earns over $346,000 a week which is more than 211 times the average Australian full-time worker's $85,000 salary.</p>
<p>Not only is she the highest earning female in Australian history, she was also made the Macquarie Group’s first-ever female managing director last year.</p>
<p>She was first hired in 1987 and had previously worked for the company in nine cities across the globe.</p>
<p>The three other to make the top 50 list included Coca-Cola Amatil CEO Alison Watkins, who raked in $4.1million, Mirvac Group's Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz on $4.8million and Fortescue Metals boss Elizabeth Gaines on $5million.</p>
<p>In 2019 the 57-year-old was also named one of Fortune's 'Most Powerful Women' for her work on climate change and role with the World Bank's Global Commission on Adaptation.</p>
