CFO COMPENSATION IN PE-BACKED CONSUMER & RETAIL FIRMS

We analysed data from 192 CFOs 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

• 34% from firms under $50M revenue
• 37% from firms with $50M–$150M revenue
• 29% from firms over $150M revenue

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BASE SALARY

Firms < $50M Revenue

• Median: $240,000
• Range: $130,000 – $450,000

Firms $50M–$150M Revenue

• Median: $250,000
• Range: $150,000 – $500,000

Firms > $150M Revenue

• Median: $250,000
• Range: $175,000 – $400,000

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BONUS

• 69% of CFOs at firms <$50M receive a bonus of 50% or less
• 100% at firms $50M–$150M receive a bonus of 50% or less
• 100% at firms >$150M receive a bonus of 50% or less

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EQUITY

• 100% of CFOs at firms <$50M hold equity
• 90% at firms $50M–$150M hold equity
• 88% at firms >$150M hold equity

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Base is compressed across tiers — medians sit at $240–$250K regardless of company size. Scale isn’t buying higher base for CFOs in this sector.

• Bonuses are conservative — mid and large firms overwhelmingly cap at ≤50%.

• Equity is the lever — equity participation is near-universal, especially in sub-$150M companies.

• Outliers exist — the $500K base shows up in the $50M–$150M tier; small firms can still pay $450K bases.

Bottom line: CFO base pay is flat by scale in Consumer & Retail. Upside comes from bonus and equity, not a higher base at bigger revenue.

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Looking to benchmark your compensation or hire an exceptional CFO 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