CEO COMPENSATION IN PE-BACKED CONSUMER & RETAIL FIRMS

We analysed data from 149 CEOs operating in the Consumer & Retail sector across Private Equity-backed firms in North America. The responses were segmented by revenue size to provide clarity on market trends.

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RESPONDENT BREAKDOWN

• 37% from firms under $50M revenue
• 27% from firms with $50M–$150M revenue
• 36% from firms over $150M revenue

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BASE SALARY

Firms < $50M Revenue

• Median: $300,000
• Range: $125,000 – $600,000

Firms $50M–$150M Revenue

• Median: $350,000
• Range: $110,000 – $510,000

Firms > $150M Revenue

• Median: $327,500
• Range: $170,000 – $675,000

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BONUS

• 100% of CEOs at firms <$50M receive a bonus of 50% or less
• 83% at firms $50M–$150M receive a bonus of 50% or less
• 82% at firms >$150M receive a bonus of 50% or less

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EQUITY

• 80% of CEOs at firms <$50M hold equity
• 80% at firms $50M–$150M hold equity
• 100% at firms >$150M hold equity

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Base salaries cluster around $300K–$350K across revenue tiers, with mid-sized firms showing the highest median.

• Bonuses are conservative. Almost all CEOs across revenue bands receive ≤50% bonus targets.

• Equity is widespread. Especially in large firms where all surveyed CEOs reported holding equity.

• Outliers remain. Top base in-bracket hits $675K, while others earn as low as $110K.

Bottom line: CEO pay in PE-backed Consumer & Retail firms is steady across brackets, with bonuses limited but equity more consistently applied—particularly in the largest firms.

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Looking to benchmark your compensation or hire an exceptional CEO for your portfolio company?
Reach out at Matthew.Parry@raw-selection.com
Principal, Consumer & Retail

All the insights in this salary report are provided from our proprietary data

Raw Selection | De-Risking Executive Search for Private Equity firms across Europe and North America