CCI staff share recent surveys, reports and analysis on risk, compliance, governance, infosec and leadership issues. Share details of your survey with us: editor@corporatecomplianceinsights.com.
BarkerGilmore: Modest gender gap persists, though women earn higher base salaries
Growth in compensation for chief compliance officers slowed in 2025, according to newly released data from executive search firm BarkerGilmore, which said the average CCO got a 2.7% salary bump this year, far below the 5.1% average increase reported in 2024. Perhaps not surprisingly, the firm also found that more than half of CCOs (56%) said they were open to changing jobs.
The technology sector led all industries in CCO compensation with a median total package of $770,000, followed by life sciences at $665,000 and energy at $578,000. Public company CCOs significantly outpaced their counterparts at other organizations, earning a median total compensation of $626,000 compared to $350,000 at private companies and $321,600 at nonprofits, a disparity that reflects the heightened regulatory scrutiny and compliance complexity facing publicly traded companies.
CCOs received bonuses averaging 88% of their targets — essentially unchanged from the prior year — with an average payout of $125,551 against target bonuses averaging $134,391. Meanwhile, a modest gender pay gap persisted, with men CCOs earning 1% more in total cash compensation ($382,500) than women CCOs ($379,000), though women received higher base salaries.
Other key findings:
- Of the 56% considering job changes, 21% cited compensation as their primary motivation while 19% sought new challenges or career growth.
- Most CCOs (61%) expressed little concern about job security, though 39% reported some worry about their positions.
- Only 39% of CCOs said they serve as trusted advisers whose business opinions are always sought and respected, while 80% reported their performance is constrained by inadequate resources or staffing, findings that comport with CCI’s report earlier this year that tied compliance officer mental health to organizational failings.
BarkerGilmore’s survey of more than 260 CCOs was conducted in March 2025.
PwC: Executive confidence in boards rises modestly as governance gaps widen
Executive confidence in board effectiveness increases but remains modest as major governance gaps persist, according to a new survey from PwC and The Conference Board that found 35% of executives rate their boards as excellent or good — up from 30% the previous year but still indicating widespread dissatisfaction with corporate governance.
The survey of more than 500 executives reveals growing tensions between boards and management, with 32% of executives now saying their boards overstep into management responsibilities — double the 16% who felt that way the previous year. Meanwhile, a record 93% of executives want at least one director replaced, the highest level ever recorded, though only 50% have confidence in their boards’ ability to remove underperforming directors.
Skills gaps appear to be driving much of the dissatisfaction, with only 32% of executives believing their boards have the right expertise. International experience topped executives’ wish list for new board skills at 48% — more than doubling from 21% the prior year — followed by AI and generative AI expertise at 43% and environmental/sustainability knowledge at 38%. However, directors show little appetite for adding these skills, with only 9% planning to add international expertise and 10% planning to add AI knowledge.
Other key findings:
- Talent management emerged as executives’ top risk concern (18%), followed by supply chain issues (13%) and AI (12%), while directors focused more on strategic disruption (32%) and financial performance (17%).
- CFOs showed the strongest confidence in board performance, with 72% rating boards as excellent or good — up from 42% in 2022 — while CIOs expressed the most frustration, with 40% rating their boards as poor.
- Both executives and directors agreed boards should spend more time on talent management and AI oversight, though they diverged on top priorities, with executives favoring ESG while directors emphasized strategy.
- Long tenure and advanced age were cited as the main reasons for director underperformance, with 56% of executives pointing to long tenure and 47% citing advanced age as performance issues.
