The 25 highest-paid CFOs

anthony noto, twitter, sv100 2015
In 2014, Twitter CFO Anthony Noto was the highest-paid CFO with a total compensation package worth $72.8 million. Brian Ach/Getty

Chief financial officers in North America earn less money on average than their CEO counterparts, but that gap is quickly closing. 

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A recent study published by The Wall Street Journal found that CFOs are receiving bigger pay hikes year-over-year than CEOs.

The study, conducted by S&P Capital IQ, found that CFOs received a median pay increase of 13.9% with an average pay of $3.8 million. In comparison, large-company CEOs received a bump of 13.5% for an average pay of $13.6 million. 

We wanted to take a closer look at CFO pay packages and compiled a list of the highest-paid CFOs using data compiled by FindTheCompany. Our numbers are based on the publicly disclosed total compensation packages awarded to CFO's for the full year ending December 31, 2014. Our list does not offer any insight into vested shares that may have vested during the reporting period which could affect a CFOs real dollar earnings.  

Some of the CFOs on this list have retired or moved on to other ventures, but none-the-less their compensation packages in 2014 reveal a good amount of information about CFO pay and its sudden race towards the top of the corporate pay structure. Notably, Ruth Porat, Google's new $70 million CFO is on our list, but not for her work with the Mountain View, California, company.

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In 2014, Twitter CFO Anthony Noto was the highest-paid CFO with a total compensation package worth $72.8 million. 

While the top 25 CEOs of 2014 earned between $35 million and $156 million, our list of CFOs took home slightly more modest compensation packages valued between $12 million and $73 million. 

Scroll down to see the top 25 CFOs. 

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25. Robert M. Knight,Jr, CFO, Union Pacific

Robert_Knight
Robert Knight. Union Pacific.

Robert M. Knight, Jr. was named chief financial officer of Union Pacific Corporation in February 2004. He is responsible for all financial activities of both the corporation and Union Pacific Railroad.

Knight began his career with Union Pacific Corporation in 1980 and has held a variety of positions including serving as vice president and general manager-Energy and vice president and general manager - Automotive. 

His total compensation package in 2014 included a $519,500 salary and a $1,600,000 bonus. He also has $5,680,193 in restricted stock awards and $1,120,055 in option awards. His other compensation was listed at $3,468,865.

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24. Bruce L. Tanner, CFO and Executive VP, Lockheed Martin

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Bruce Tanner. Lockheed Martin

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $12,394,571

Tanner is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Lockheed Martin Corporation, a role he has commanded since September 2007. Prior to the CFO role he served as vice president of finance and business operations for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. He began his career in the aeronautics business area in January 1982.

Tanner was awarded a salary of $884,311 with restricted stock awards of $3,240,119 and non-equity incentive plan compensation valued at $4,350,640. His "other" compensation was $3,919,501.

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23. W. Larry Cash, CFO and Divisional President, Community Health Systems

Community Health Systems NYSE
Community Health Systems, Inc. at NYSE opening bell. http://www.chs.net/

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $12,610,800

Cash is a long-time employee of Community Health Systems. He joined the company as its executive vice president and chief financial officer in 1997. Before his time at Community Health Systems, he served as vice president and group chief financial officer of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation and before that he spent 23 years in various senior management roles at Humana Inc. 

His compensation includes a salary of $800,000 per year and restricted stock awards totaling $9,339,750. He also received $1,464,000 in non-equity incentive plan compensation and "other" compensation of $1,007,050.

 

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22. Robert M. Davis, Executive VP and CFO, Merck & Co

A view of the Merck & Co. campus in Linden, New Jersey March 9, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Zelevansky
A view of the Merck & Co. campus in Linden, New Jersey. Thomson Reuters

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $12,762,518

Davis was named as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Merck & Co. in March 2014 and moved into his new position one month later. Before his role at Merck, he was the corporate vice president and president of Medical Products at Baxter International, Inc. and the corporate vice president and president of the Renal Division of Baxter. 

Davis received a compensation package in 2014 that included a base salary of $650,384. He also received a $2.5 million bonus and restricted stock awards totaling $7,294,765. His option awards totaled $1,163,135, and his non-equity incentive plan compensation equaled $812,250. His "other" compensation was valued at $341,984. 

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21. Arthur Minson, former Executive VP and CFO, Time Warner Cable

time warner cable
A Time Warner Cable truck in service. Joshua Lott/Reuters

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $12,984,333

Minson served as the chief finance officer of Time Warner Cable until June 2015.

Before accepting his role at Time Warner Cable he was the chief operating officer and chief financial and administrative officer at AOL Inc. He also worked as the company's executive vice president and deputy chief financial officer and as AOL's Senior Vice President of Finance. He also held various senior finance positions at AMC Networks.

His compensation in 2014 included $900,000 in salary and $9,847,863 in restricted stock awards. He was also given $2,146,500 in non-equity incentive plan compensation and $89,970 in "other" compensation.

 

 

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20. Kenneth A. Goldman, CFO, Yahoo!

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Ken Goldman. Credit: Slaven Vlasic / Stringer / Getty Images

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $13,045,056

"Ken" Goldman was appointed as the chief financial officer at Yahoo! in October 2012. Before accepting his new position he was the CFO at Fortine Inc. and served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Dexterra, Inc. He was previously the senior vice president, finance and administration, and chief financial officer at Siebel Systems, Inc.

He currently serves on the boards of directors at GoPro, Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., TriNet Group Inc., and Yahoo Japan Corporation.

Goldman's salary in 2014 was $600,000. He also received restricted stock awards of $2,813,080 and option awards totaling $9,327,427. His non-equity incentive plan compensation totaled $300,000, while his "other" compensation was just $4,549. 

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19. Jeffrey C. Campbell, CFO and Executive VP, American Express

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The American Express Tower at three world financial center. Courtesy of Glassdoor

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $13,067,167

American Express named Campbell as the company's new CFO in June 2013. Campbell previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of McKesson Corporation where he worked for nine years. He was also CFO at AMR Corporation and its subsidiary American Airlines. He joined AMR in 1990 and quickly moved through the ranks of senior management. 

Campbell's full compensation package includes a $1 million per year salary alongside a bonus of $6,150,000 and restricted stock awards of $1,820,133. He also received option awards totaling $679,819 and $3,177,000 in non-equity incentive plan compensation. His "other" compensation was $240,215 for 2014. 

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18. Luca Maestri, CFO and Senior VP, Apple

Luca Maestri
Luca Maestri. Apple

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $14,002,801

Maestri is the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Apple. Previously, Maestri was the company's vice president and corporate controller. Prior to Apple, he was executive vice president and CFO of Xerox Corporation and the CFO at Nokia Siemens Networks. He worked at General Motors for 2o years where he served as CFO of GM Europe and GM Brazil.

In 2014 his base salary was $717,211. He also received $11,335,043 in restricted stock awards and $1,608,255 in non-equity incentive plan compensation. His "other" compensation was listed by the company to be worth $342,292. 

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17. David M. Denton, CFO and Executive VP, CVS Health

CVS Pharmacy
A CVS pharmacy retail outlet. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $14,684,580

Denton serves as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of CVS Health Corporation, a role he has held since January 2010. He was previously the senior vice president and controller/chief accounting officer at CVS, and he served as the firm's senior vice president of financial administration.

Denton received a salary of $825,000 in 2014. He was also given $8,928,958 in restricted stock awards and $749,997 in option awards. His non-equity incentive plan compensation totaled $3,975,043, and his "other" compensation equaled $205,582. 

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16. Ruth Porat, former CFO and Executive VP, Morgan Stanley

Ruth Porat
Ruth Porat recently moved from Morgan Stanley to Google and its new parent company Alphabet. Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $14,782,844

Porat is widely regarded as one of the top bankers on Wall Street. From January 2010 through the first half of 2015 she served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Morgan Stanley. She also served as the vice chairman of investment banking, the global head of financial institutions group, and chairman of the financial sponsors group within the company's investment banking division.

Porat left Morgan Stanley in April 2015 after accepting the Google CFO role with a compensation package worth $70 million. 

In 2014, Morgan Stanley paid Porat a salary of $1,000,000. She was also given a bonus of $5,901,325 and awarded restricted stock totaling $7,476,460. Her "other" compensation was $405,059. 

 

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15. Robin N. Lowe, CFO, Altisource Asset Management

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No photo was available. Altisource

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $14,836,715

Lowe has served as the chief financial officer of Altisource Asset Management since October 2014 and also served as the chief financial officer of Residential since October 2014. Previously he was the chief financial officer of CitiMortgage Inc. and served as chief financial officer of Citibank Korea. He was also the chief financial officer of Citibank's South East Asia Pacific region.

Lowe received a 2014 salary of just $95,192. His big payday arrived in the form of restricted stock worth $14,399,269 and non-equity incentive plan compensation valued at $284,562. His "other" compensation was listed by the company at $58,692. 

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14. Laurence A. Tosi, CFO, Blackstone Group

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Laurence Tosi. Credit: Bloomberg / Getty Images

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $14,971,827

Tosi is the CFO of Blackstone Group and also serves as a member of the company's management committee. 

In his previous role he was a managing partner and the chief operating officer of Global Markets and Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch & Co. He also served as Merrill Lynch's finance director and principal accounting officer responsible for global finance, including worldwide accounting, regulatory reporting, budgeting and corporate business development. He was previously the chief financial officer and head of Merrill Lynch business finance division.

Tosi received a salary of $350,000 in 2014. He was also awarded a $6,632,140 bonus, $2,724,339 in restricted stock awards, and $5,265,348 in "other" compensation.

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13. Robert Kane, CFO, Crown Baus Capital

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No photo was available. The company recently changed its name to Crown Baus Capital Corp. Cannabis Capital Corp.

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $15,010,000

In 2010, Kane founded Cannabis Consulting Inc. In 2012, he handled investor relations for Cannabis Science. He eventually sold his company to Cannabis Science and was appointed as the company's new CFO and director. He also serves as the chief financial officer and director for Endocan Corporation.

Unlike the complex salary, bonus, and stock structures of many other CFOs on our list, Kane received just two awards. His first was a simple salary of $10,000 and the second was access to $15,000,000 in restricted stock. 

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12. Ian F. Smith, CFO and Executive VP, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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Ian Smith. Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $15,303,863

Smith joined Vertex in 2001 and has served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals since 2006. He is responsible for core functions at Vertex, including Finance and Accounting, Investor Relations, Business Development, Information Systems and Worldwide Operations. Prior to Vertex he was a partner in the Life Science and Technology Practice Group of Ernst & Young LLP. Smith serves on the boards of directors for Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., a drug development company, and Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a drug development company. 

Smith earned a salary of $650,000 in 2014, restricted stock awards of $9,865,110, and option awards of $4,044,646. He also received $731,250 in non-equity incentive plan compensation and "other" compensation of $12,857. 

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11. Jeffrey S. Bornstein, Senior VP and CFO, General Electric

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Jeffrey Bornstein. General Electric

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $16,250,709

Bornstein is the senior vice president and chief financial officer for GE Company. Prior to his current c-suite role he was the chief financial officer of GE Capital and senior vice president of GE Company. Bornstein is a long-time employee of GE, joining the company in 1989 as part of GE Power Systems’ Financial Management Program. 

Bornstein's compensation in 2014 included $1,450,000 in salary and a bonus of $2,400,000. He was also awarded $2,585,000 in restricted stock and $2,893,000 in option awards. His non-equity incentive plan compensation totaled $1,080,000 while his "other" compensation reached $180,850. A change in his pension value added to the remaining compensation number for 2014. 

 

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10. David C. Shiels, CFO, Williams Partners

Williams Partners
Williams Partners processing facility. Williams Partners

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $16,863,687

Shiels has served as chief financial officer since January 2010. Before joining Williams Partners as the company's CFO he spent 13 years in various regional chief financial officer roles with subsidiaries of General Electric. He most recently served as the chief financial officer of GE Security Americas. Before General Electric he spent nine years with Conoco, Inc. in various finance and operational roles.

Shiels was awarded a salary of $431,776 in 2014. He was also given a bonus of $608,550 and restricted stock awards of $600,055. Shiels was also awarded $15,012,398 in non-equity incentive plan compensation and given "other" compensation totaling $210,908. 

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9. Glen C. Warren Jr., Director, Secretary, President and CFO, Antero Midstream Partners

Antero Midstream Partners
No photo was available. Antero Midstream

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $18,262,368

Warren Jr. has served as president, chief financial officer, and secretary and as a director of Midstream Management since February 2014. He has also served as the chief financial officer and secretary and as a director of Antero. Previously he was the EVP, CFO, and Director of Pennaco Energy and a natural resources investment banker focused on equity and debt financing and M&A advisory with Lehman Brothers, Dillons Read & Co. Inc. and Kidder, Peabody & Co. 

A large majority of Warren Jr.'s salary was made up of restricted stock awards, which totaled $17,051,968. He was also awarded a base salary of $600,000, a bonus of $600,000, and "other" compensation worth $10,400. 

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8. Michael J. Angelakis, former CFO and Vice Chairman, Comcast

Former Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis
Former Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis. Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $18,874,452

Angelakis served as the chief financial officer of Comcast Corporation for half a decade. As of July 2015 Michael Angelakis left the CFO role to act as the chairman and chief executive officer of a new strategic company he is forming in partnership with the cable giant. He also sits on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Comcast's former CFO received a salary of $1,759,331 in 2014. He also received restricted stock awards in the amount of $4,475,224 and option awards of $3,812,724. His monetary awards also included a non-equity incentive plan worth $5,541,892 and "other" compensation valued at $3,285,263.

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7. Harvey M. Schwartz, CFO, Goldman Sachs Group

Harvey Schwartz
Harvey Schwartz. Image courtesy of Goldman Sachs

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $20,177,797

Schwartz took over the post of chief financial officer at Goldman Sachs on January 31, 2013. At that time he was also appointed as the company's executive vice president. His long tenure at Goldman Sachs spans 18 years. He joined the firm as a vice president and quickly moved up the ranks to managing director in 1999 and partner in 2002.

Much like the other CFOs on our list, Schwartz received a compensation package in 2014 that was heavily based around restricted stocks and bonuses. Schwartz was paid $1,850,000 in salary along with a bonus of $6,716,667. He was also awarded $11,394,315 in restricted stock and given "other" compensation of $216,816. 

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6. Warren C. Jenson, CFO and Executive VP, Acxiom

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Warren Jenson and Melissa Jenson. Credit: Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $26,900,457

Jenson serves as the chief financial officer and executive vice president at Acxiom. He also serves as president of Acxiom International. Jenson joined the Acxiom team in 2012. Before his CFO role at the company. Jenson was the COO at Silver Spring Networks, a startup that specializes in smart grid networking technology. He also worked as the CFO at Electronic Arts Inc. and was employed in various positions for Amazon.com and NBC. Institutional Investor magazine honored him as one of the best CFOs in America. 

His CFO compensation in 2014 included a base salary of $511,250 and restricted stock awards of $25,500,057. He was also given $510,525 in option awards and $340,000 in non-equity incentive plan compensation. He also received $38,625 in "other" compensation in 2014.

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5. Howard Schiller, former CFO and Executive VP, Valeant Pharmaceuticals

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Howard Schiller. Credit: Bloomberg / Getty Images

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $27,112,617

Schiller served as the chief financial officer of Valeant Pharmaceuticals from December 2011 through June 2015. He jumped over to the company after a 24-year career at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for management and strategy of business. He still serves as a consultant to Valeant. 

His 2014 total compensation package included an annual salary of $953,846 and restricted stock awards in the amount of $23,730,659. He was also awarded $2,400,000 in non-equity incentive plan compensation and $28,112 in "other" compensation. 

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4. Grayson T. Lisenby, CFO and Senior VP, Rice Energy

Rice Energy
Rice Energy at NYSE opening bell. NYSE

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $28,872,714

Lisenby is the 29-year-old senior vice president and chief financial officer for Rice Energy. He took over the senior vice president role in 2015 and has held the CFO role since October 2013. Prior to Rice Energy he was an investment professional at Natural Gas Partners where he was directly involved in Natural Gas Partners' original $100 million investment into Rice Energy. He was formerly an investment banker for Barclays Capital Inc.'s energy group in Houston, Texas.

His compensation package includes an annual salary of $350,462 along with just over $28 million in restricted stock awards. Mr. Lisenby has also received $493,120 in non-equity incentive plan compensation.

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3. Safra Ada Catz, CFO and President, Oracle

Safra Catz Oracle
Safra Catz. Oracle

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $37,666,750

Catz serves as the president and CFO of Oracle. She started as the company's president in January 2004 and took over the CFO role in April 2011. Catz held Oracle's interim CFO position from November 2005 until September 2008 and from April 2005 until July 2005. Catz has a long history with Oracle, joining the tech giant in 1999.

Oracle's CFO earned $950,000 in salary for 2014. She was also given just over $36 million in option awards and $456,236 in non-equity incentive plan compensation. Her "other" compensation totaled more than $20,014.  

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2. Patrick Pichette, former CFO and Senior VP, Google

Patrick Pichette.JPG
Former Google CFO Patrick Pichette skydiving. Google Plus

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $43,757,484

Pichette served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer for Google from August 2008 through May 2015, at which time he retired and was replaced by Morgan Stanley banker Ruth Porat. Prior to joining Google he served as an executive officer for Bell Canada Enterprises.

While his annual salary was just $650,000, Pichette was awarded a $3 million bonus and just over $40 million in restricted stock. He also received "other" compensation from Google during his tenure totaling $72.7 million.

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1. Anthony Noto, CFO, Twitter

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Anthony Noto. TechCrunch

Total compensation package awarded in 2014: $72,768,098

Noto has served as the chief financial officer of Twitter since August 2014. He also served as the social network's managing director. Before Twitter he was the managing director in the technology, media, and telecom investment banking group at Goldman Sachs & Co. Noto also acted as the CFO of the National Football League. 

Noto's massive compensation package makes him the highest-paid CFO on our list. While he collected a salary of just $124,038, he also received restricted stock awards of $63,075,000 and option awards of $9,545,000. His "other" compensation was listed at just $25,060.

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