Press release:

Executive Pay: Too Much Emphasis On Shareholder Value

Tuesday 07 January 2020

Ann Francke, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), reacting to High Pay Centre & CIPD executive pay findings:

It is the responsibility of an organisation’s board to look at the impact of their actions on stakeholders - customers, suppliers, employees - not just shareholders. Executives need to be benchmarked and remunerated against how they deliver for all of these elements. Too much emphasis is placed on shareholder value, and in my view shares do not reflect the actual performance of the company. We need to find mechanisms to ensure that employees are engaged and valued - justifying executive pay gaps is key to this.

CMI’s latest Manager’s Voice survey, conducted between 24th October and 5th December 2019, found that:

  • 77% of managers believe corporate pay reporting will hold big business to account for the salaries they pay
  • 59% believe corporate pay reporting will give employees greater confidence in the remuneration process
  • 53% believe corporate pay reporting will lead to fairer pay in the workplace generally

Ann Francke, CEO at CMI, said:

CMI knows that, whilst greater transparency can create positive change, it must go hand-in-hand with strong, skilled leadership in order to maintain a confident, fair workforce.

- Ends -


Media contact:

John Kaponi Head of Media Relations, CMI

Notes to editors

The CMI Manager’s Voice Survey:

  • The winter edition of the survey, which is the third edition, was undertaken between 24th October and 5th December 2019. 1,104 UK-based members responded.

Chartered Management Institute

  • The Chartered Management Institute is the chartered professional body for management and leadership, counting more than 132,000 managers and leaders in its membership community
  • There are 7,697 Chartered Managers
  • Backed by a unique Royal Charter, CMI is the only organisation able to award Chartered Manager status - the ultimate management accolade, which is proven to boost individuals’ career prospects, management capability and impact in the workplace.