2026 Directors Remuneration and Trends Report

Our 19th edition of the Directors Remuneration and Trends Report provides an overview of the remuneration trends shaping South Africa's largest listed companies. Drawing on insights from the JSE Top 200, the report examines executive and non-executive director remuneration, shareholder voting outcomes, executive representation and the evolving governance landscape.

This year's findings reveal that median total remuneration increased by 9% for CEOs and 7% for CFOs, driven primarily by stronger short and long-term incentive outcomes rather than fixed pay growth. The report also points to sustained shareholder support for remuneration-related resolutions, alongside increasing expectations for greater  transparency and accountability in how pay outcomes are determined and disclosed. At the same time, progress in improving representation at executive level remains slow, underscoring an ongoing challenge for many organisations.

Beyond the numbers, the report explores emerging themes shaping the future of reward, including executive benchmarking, skills-based remuneration, incentive design and broader measures of leadership performance. Together, these insights provide boards, remuneration committees and business leaders with a practical view of the trends, opportunities and considerations influencing remuneration decision-making today.

Contact us to purchase the full report

The detailed report provides an in-depth pay analysis of executive and non-executive directors’ remuneration segmented by role, size, and sector (inclusive of detailed variable pay trends by industry), and is available for purchase at R45,000 (excluding VAT) and can be requested here.