More on the state’s highest-paid CEOs
The 10 most handsomely paid CEOs in Massachusetts earned a total of $191 million in the last fiscal year, for an average of nearly $20 million a year.
The list, which comes from the Equilar 200 Highest-Paid CEO Rankings, are tallied for each executive by adding together the values of base salaries, cash bonuses, stock awards, perks, and other figures. The list tallies the total compensation of the chief executives of 200 public companies with a market capitalization of at least $1 billion that filed proxies by April 30.
1. Jeffrey M. Leiden, Vertex
$36.6 million
Leiden joined Vertex in 2011. The company, which has posted only one annual profit in its 26 years, has seen its market value nearly double over the past year with the expectation that it will become highly profitable on the strength of its new cystic fibrosis medicine.
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2. Stephen P. MacMillan, Hologic
$24.5 million
MacMillan became the chief executive of Hologic in December 2013 after billionaire investor Carl Icahn disclosed a 13 percent stake in the Bedford company.
The company develops, manufactures, and supplies diagnostics products.
3. Carol Meyrowitz, TJX
$23.3 million
Meyrowitz, the chief executive of the discount retail chain, started as a buyer for the company in 1983.
TJX Cos. runs a group of discount shopping mainstays including T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods.
4. George A. Scangos, Biogen
$18.5 million
Scangos became chief executive of Massachusetts’ largest publicly traded company in 2010.
Biogen sells a portfolio of drugs to treat multiple sclerosis and hemophilia.
5. Paul A. Ricci, Nuance
$17.9 million
Ricci is the chief executive of Nuance, which makes the software that translates words into text for Apple’s voice-recognition assistant, Siri.
Its software is also showing up in many new cars, TV sets, and smartphone apps.
6. Marc N. Casper, Thermo Fisher
$17.4 million
Casper is the chief executive of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., a maker of life sciences tools and specialty diagnostics equipment.
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In 2013 the company bought diagnostics-equipment maker Life Technologies Corp., establishing it as a major force in the emerging personalized medicine market.
7. Joseph L. Hooley, State Street
$14.1 million
Hooley is chairman and chief executive of State Street Corp., a major financial services firm headquartered in Boston. It is one of the state’s largest employers, but its local workforce has been shrinking.
In 2014, it had about 11,300 employees in Massachusetts — down from 12,000 in early 2013.
8. Robert J. Willett, Cognex
$13.6 million
Willett is the head of Natick-based Cognex, a maker of barcode readers and cameras used by manufacturers.
He joined the company in 2008 and was promoted to CEO in 2011.
9. James D. Taiclet Jr., American Tower
$12.7 million
Taiclet is the chief executive officer of American Tower, a cellphone tower behemoth that has seen its business benefit from the surge in smartphone use that requires data to be transmitted at a high speed around the globe.
10. Ronald L. Sargent, Staples
$12.4 million
Sargent is the chief executive officer of Staples Inc., the Framingham-based office supply giant.
Staples has struggled in recent years and closed 169 stores as it tried to adapt to the digital age. It bought rival Office Depot Inc. for $6.3 billion in February.
| COMPANY (TICKER) | CHIEF EXECUTIVE | BASE SALARY | CASH BONUS | PERKS/ OTHER | CASH COMPENSATION | STOCK AWARDS | OPTION AWARDS | TOTAL COMPENSATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) | Jeffrey M. Leiden | $1,100,000 | $2,970,000 | $12,857 | $4,082,857 | $19,883,350 | $12,669,261 | $36,635,468 |
| Hologic (HOLX) | Stephen P. MacMillan | $792,308 | $1,275,000 | $285,463 | $2,352,771 | $15,340,523 | $6,764,995 | $24,458,289 |
| TJX Companies (TJX) | Carol Meyrowitz | $1,575,002 | $4,582,886 | $44,014 | $6,201,902 | $16,485,000 | $636,000 | $23,322,902 |
| Biogen (BIIB) | George A. Scangos | $1,375,000 | $4,047,313 | $1,001,483 | $6,423,796 | $12,120,939 | $- | $18,544,735 |
| Nuance Communications (NUAN) | Paul A. Ricci | $800,000 | $600,000 | $127,521 | $1,527,521 | $16,412,235 | $- | $17,939,756 |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) | Marc N. Casper | $1,254,808 | $3,353,850 | $539,981 | $5,148,639 | $8,277,048 | $4,021,270 | $17,446,957 |
| State Street (STT) | Joseph L. Hooley | $1,000,000 | $2,566,750 | $309,744 | $3,876,494 | $10,199,957 | $- | $14,076,451 |
| Cognex (CGNX) | Robert J. Willett | $376,115 | $712,681 | $7,372 | $1,096,168 | $- | $12,524,725 | $13,620,893 |
| American Tower (AMT) | James D. Taiclet, Jr. | $1,100,000 | $2,574,000 | $30,715 | $3,704,715 | $4,500,051 | $4,500,007 | $12,704,773 |
| Staples (SPLS) | Ronald L. Sargent | $1,249,208 | $2,591,478 | $325,851 | $4,166,537 | $8,225,000 | $- | $12,391,537 |