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The Equilar CHRO Content Series offers insights and trends related to top HR officers among the largest U.S. companies. This installment examines the 50 highest-paid CHROs at Equilar 500 companies in 2025.
The modern corporate landscape requires a different kind of leadership. As public companies navigate the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, shifting talent strategies and growing employee anxieties, chief human resources officers (CHROs) face unprecedented responsibilities. Managing the intersection of new technology and human workers has pushed human resources from a traditional administrative function into a core driver of corporate strategy. CHROs are now tasked with redesigning roles, addressing workforce fears and ensuring that productivity remains steady during periods of intense organizational change.
A new study from Equilar examines the compensation of the highest-paid CHROs* within the Equilar 500, which tracks the largest U.S. public companies by revenue. The data highlights how corporate boards are rewarding the leaders tasked with steering workforces through these complex operational shifts.
According to the study, the median total compensation for the top 50 CHROs reached $3.7 million in 2025. This figure reflects the value companies place on executives who can balance organizational stability with rapid technological change. The scale of compensation sheds light on the expanding scope of the position, which now rivals other senior leadership roles in both complexity and corporate impact.
Below is a table of the top 10 highest-paid CHROs, and a link follows to download a complete list of the top 50.
| EXECUTIVE NAME COMPANY NAME (TICKER) |
TITLE | TOTAL COMPENSATION | SECTOR | |||
| 1 |
|
Vice Chair, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer and Corporate Secretary | $14,547,754 | Financial Services | ||
| 2 |
|
Chief Operating Officer and Chief People and Culture Officer | $12,085,124 | Consumer Cyclical | ||
| 3 |
|
Chief People and AI Enablement Officer | $11,883,772 | Technology | ||
| 4 |
|
Chief Human Resources Officer | $8,942,638 | Healthcare | ||
| 5 |
|
Chief Legal and People Officer and Secretary | $8,316,538 | Consumer Cyclical | ||
| 6 |
|
Chief People Officer | $7,664,899 | Communication Services | ||
| 7 |
|
Chief Human Resources Officer; Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, Booking.com | $7,309,323 | Consumer Cyclical | ||
| 8 |
|
Senior Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer | $7,275,547 | Communication Services | ||
| 9 |
|
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer | $6,759,627 | Industrials | ||
| 10 |
|
Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer | $6,362,073 | Consumer Defensive |
At the top of the list, Kelly Tullier of Visa earned $14.5 million in 2025, making her the highest-paid HR executive in the study. Tracy Skeans of Yum! Brands followed as the second-highest paid at $12.1 million. The threshold for the top tier remains high, as Timothy Massa of The Kroger Co. rounded out the top 10 with $6.4 million in total compensation.
An analysis of the pay structures reveals that corporate boards heavily tie human resources compensation to company performance. Stock awards represent the largest component of total pay, coming in at a median of $2 million. This equity-heavy structure ensures that human resources leaders are directly invested in long-term shareholder value and organizational health. Cash bonuses represented the second-largest component at $864,610, while base salaries accounted for a median of $674,688.
While the data shows strong overall compensation, it also highlights a persistent disparity in pay between genders. Women occupy the majority of the top roles in this field, representing 32 of the 50 executives analyzed. However, their median pay stood at $3.5 million. In contrast, the 18 male human resources executives earned a median of $5 million, indicating that a significant gap remains at the highest levels of the profession, even in a discipline where women are well represented.
As organizations move deeper into 2026, the demands on human resources leaders will intensify as the focus moves beyond recruitment to workforce retraining. With automation altering daily tasks, employees frequently face growing concerns about job security. Compensation committees recognize this shift, rewarding the executives who can protect and prepare teams for an uncertain future. Ultimately, managing the human element of this technological transition will remain central to organizational success.
*Methodology Notes: This study analyzes the compensation data of the 50 highest-paid CHROs at Equilar 500 companies—the 500 largest U.S. public companies by revenue—that filed their annual proxy statements by April 30, 2026. The figures represent what was awarded to a CHRO in 2025, and include salary, cash bonuses, stock and options awards valued at grant date, and other compensation (including benefits and perks).
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Senior Director of Content & Communications at Equilar,
Amit Batish, Senior Director of Content & Communications at Equilar, authored this post. Andrew Jeong, Research Manager, provided data and analysis. Please contact your account manager or info@equilar.com for more information on Equilar research and data analysis.
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