The rise of the CFO: Why CEOs are not the most important role in the C-suite anymore

Published 4 Min Read

A formal meeting conference with five people in a glass room separate from the rest of the office.
VERTEX SPACE from AdobeStock

If the public is going to know one name from a company they don’t work for, it’s likely who the CEO is — but as global economic trends become increasingly unpredictable, it looks like the top brass won’t be the only star of the show.

Chief financial officers, or CFOs, are on track to outpace CEOs on the salary front, with CFOs seeing nearly 2% higher salary increases than CEOs in 2023, according to Compensation Advisory Partners. While CEO salaries are still notoriously the highest in the C-suite, ranging from $420,000 to $1,200,000, these recent CFO pay bumps hint at a restructuring of the C-suite. 

Deanna Cuadra
Senior Reporter

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture … Read full bio


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