Macquarie Bank CEO Shemara Wikramanayake Key Facts and Initiatives

Shemara Wikramanayake is the CEO of Macquarie Bank, a position she has held since 2018. She is the first woman to lead the bank.

Shemara Wikramanayake has a strong background in finance, with over 30 years of experience in the industry. She joined Macquarie Bank in 2000.

Under her leadership, Macquarie Bank has continued to grow and expand its operations. The bank has increased its presence in Asia and has strengthened its position in the global market.

Shemara Wikramanayake has been recognized for her contributions to the finance industry, including being named one of the most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine.

She is the first female CEO of Macquarie Group and the sixth CEO overall.

She was appointed as the Managing Director/CEO of Macquarie Group in December 2018, replacing Nicholas Moore.

She is the only female CEO among Australia's 20 biggest companies by market value and the first Asian-Australian woman to head an ASX 200 listed company.

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She has been leading Macquarie Group for over 5 years now.

She was ranked 29th in the list of Most Powerful Women in the World for the Year 2020 by Forbes and 24th in 2021.

She was also named as one of Fortune's Most Powerful and Influential Women in a roundup of global female business leaders segment.

She received $16.39 million in compensation in 2021, coinciding with Macquarie recording a $1.3 billion profit in the last quarter of 2021.

She is also the top earning CEO in Australia.

She was appointed as the co-chair of the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative in India, and also provides advice and consultancy on green technology investment to the Government of Australia.

She is a strong advocate for climate action and has spoken at various international conferences, including the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Macquarie Bank's leadership team is comprised of experienced professionals who have been with the company for many years. Shemara Wikramanayake, the CEO, has been with the company for 6.2 years and is the highest-paid CEO in Australia, with a compensation package of AU$29.37m.

The team is led by Shemara, who also serves as the Executive Voting Director. She is joined by other senior executives, including Alexander Harvey, who has been with the company for 6.8 years and earns AU$10.13m. Nicole Sorbara, the Global COO, has been with the company for 11.8 years and earns AU$10.15m.

Here is a breakdown of the leadership team's tenure and compensation:

The leadership team is made up of highly experienced and skilled individuals who have been with the company for many years. Shemara Wikramanayake, the CEO, has been with the company for 6.2 years and earns AU$29.37m in compensation.

Their tenure ranges from 2.4 to 12.8 years, with Nicole Sorbara being the longest-serving member of the team at 11.8 years. This level of experience and stability is crucial for making informed decisions and driving the company forward.

The leadership team is well-compensated, with Shemara Wikramanayake earning the highest amount at AU$29.37m. Other notable earners include Alexander Harvey, who earns AU$10.13m, and Nicole Sorbara, who earns AU$10.15m.

Here's a breakdown of the leadership team's ownership stakes:

As you can see, the leadership team's ownership stakes are relatively small, ranging from 0.0015% to 0.35%. This suggests that the company is owned by a larger group of individuals or entities.

Diversity in Finance is crucial for success, and Shemara's leadership at Macquarie is a great example. She's smashed her UK Women in Finance Charter female representation, 18 months ahead of schedule.

Increasing diversity in finance requires a commitment to change. Under Shemara's watch, female representation has increased at all levels, with gender parity at board level and 21.8% at senior executive level, up from 17.2% in 2018.

Shemara's efforts have also focused on ethnic diversity, with at least half of Macquarie female employees identifying as hailing from a culturally diverse background. More than a third of female directors globally identify as ethnically diverse.

To achieve true diversity, Shemara emphasizes the importance of a "rich combination" of different backgrounds and experiences. This includes age, gender, cultural and racial backgrounds, sexual orientation, socio-economic backgrounds, and experiences.

Despite her own success as the highest-paid CEO in Australia, Shemara is not the highest-paid executive at Macquarie. She's the bank's first chief executive to be regularly paid less than her subordinates and the lowest-paid since at least 1999.

Macquarie Bank's CEO, Shemara, has been a driving force behind the bank's initiatives to address climate change.

She led an effort to raise A$1 billion for renewables investment.

Under her leadership, the bank is moving away from hydrocarbons and financing solar, offshore wind, and hydrogen projects instead.

Shemara partnered with the UN's Green Climate Fund on a project to get EVs and their charging infrastructure in place and operational, raising an initial US$205 million from institutional investors.

Her focus is on driving investments towards renewables and climate-resilient solutions.