“Cash is king”—even sometimes in compensation. In a survey last December conducted by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, CFOs at PE-backed companies in the US reported average total cash compensation of $604,000, up 5% from 2024. While the average cash bonus declined 2%, the average base salary rose 7%. READ MORE
Private equity-backed CFOs earned average of $604K per year in 2025
Private equity firms may have been returning less profit to investors in recent years, but finance chiefs working at businesses owned by such companies are seeing their own compensation packages grow.
That’s the upshot of a new report issued Wednesday by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. On average, CFOs working at PE-backed firms in the U.S. took home cash pay of $604,000 in 2025, up 5% year over year. READ MORE