Five Indian Americans among the Highest Paid CEOs in the US a per Study

According to a new survey of the 350 biggest US companies, five Indian Americans, including PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi and Motorola Mobility's Sanjay Jha, are among the highest paid CEOs in the US. Besides Indian-born Nooyi and Jha, the three other Indian origin CEOs on the list are OfficeMax CEO Ravi Saligram, Quest Diagnostics' Surya Mohapatra and Citigroup's Vikram Pandit.

The median value of salaries, bonuses and long-term incentive awards for CEOs of 350 major companies surged 11 percent to $9.3 million as per the study of proxy statements conducted for The Wall Street Journal by management consultancy Hay Group.

Nooyi's total direct compensation in 2010 was $13.78 million, which included her salary of $1.3 million dollars, annual incentives of $3 million, stock option grants of $3.23 million and performance awards totalling $6.25 million. Nooyi's compensation, however, declined 0.2 percent from 2009. Jha's total direct compensation was $11.92 million. Saligram earned a total compensation of $12.03 million in 2010. Mohapatra, whose company is the leading provider of diagnostic testing and services, earned $10.39 million in total compensation that included a salary of $1.23 million. Pandit comes in last in the list as he earned no compensation in 2010, following his decision to take a $1 annual salary and no other compensation until Citi returned to sustained profitability.

Viacom Inc. CEO Philippe P. Dauman who topped the list received compensation valued at $84.3 million, more than double his 2009 pay.