Barthélémy Philippe and AFP, edited by Juliette Moreau Alvarez 08:46, November 23, 2022

The annual ranking of the Proxinvest firm ranking the highest paid French CEOs of 2021 has been unveiled and the salaries of the big bosses have soared.

Unheard of for several years, their income exceeds up to 100 times that of their employees.

Astronomical sums that have the effect of a small bomb.

Let the big salaries raise your finger.

In the midst of a debate on the taxation of super profits and a rather tense social climate, the Proxinvest firm's annual ranking of the best paid French business leaders has the effect of a small bomb, because the remuneration of bosses has soared last year.

For these big bosses, we even speak of exceptional income.

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Record figures for fifteen years

The great champion is called Carlos Tavares.

According to Proxinvest, which added up all the elements of his remuneration, the CEO of the car manufacturer Stellantis pocketed 66.7 million euros in 2021. An astronomical salary, which took off thanks to an exceptional variable part of remuneration linked to excellent financial results of Stellantis, in the post-Covid context.

Carlos Tavares is not the only one to have benefited from the recovery of the French economy in 2021. In the top 5 of the ranking, we also find the boss of Dassault systems Bernard Charlès with 44.1 million euros, Daniel Julien of the call center company Teleperformance with 19.6 million euros, the CEO of the luxury group Kering François-Henri Pinault (12 million euros) and finally Paul Hudson of the pharmaceutical laboratory Sanofi who brings up the rear with 9 millions of euros.

Between 2019 and 2021, the average compensation of CAC 40 bosses increased by 52%, to reach 7.9 million euros.

This is a hundred times more than that of their employees, a first in eight years.

If we expand to the big bosses of the 120 largest listed companies, the figure is 4.5 million euros, an increase of 22% compared to 2019. In both cases, this is unheard of. fifteen years, according to the consulting firm Proxynvest.