KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — Long-term equity has emerged as a central component of executive compensation at growth-oriented companies, with 85% of current CEOs and presidents surveyed by JM Search ranking equity value and long-term upside among the two most important elements of a competitive pay package.
The King of Prussia-based executive search firm’s 2026 CEO Compensation & Insights Study surveyed 350 current and recently serving CEOs and presidents across multiple industries, company sizes and ownership structures. Respondents were weighted heavily toward private equity-backed and other growth-oriented businesses.
Compensation increased with company size, according to the study, with the clearest increase occurring once annual revenue reached $250 million.
Perceptions of pay were also associated with executives considering an exit. Among current CEOs and presidents who believed their compensation was below market, 59% had considered leaving their organization during the previous six months.
That compared with 37% among executives who believed they were paid at or above market.
“This study puts data behind many of those conversations,” JM Search Chief Executive Officer John Marshall stated. “It validates a number of the trends our teams are seeing and gives CEOs, boards, and investors a more informed way to think about compensation, equity, and the broader realities of the role.”
Operational demands ranked prominently alongside compensation. Seventy-six percent of current CEOs and presidents identified growth and operational execution as one of the leading challenges keeping them up at night.
Talent was the second-most frequently cited pressure, followed by the external environment and competition.
The survey also examined leadership changes involving company founders. Respondents reported challenges at similar rates whether a founder left the business or remained in another role, with people, team and change-management issues cited most frequently.
JM Search also examined executives’ professional backgrounds and transaction experience, compensation reviews, work arrangements, board engagement and reasons executives considered leaving their positions.
The findings are based on an anonymous digital survey conducted from March through May. Of the 350 respondents, 297 were serving as CEOs or presidents at the time, while 53 had held one of those positions within the previous six months and were in transition.
Compensation, compensation perceptions and findings about executives considering leaving their positions were based on the 297 current CEOs and presidents. Detailed equity findings focused on eligible respondents at private equity- and venture capital-backed companies, with sample sizes varying by question.
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