Shankh Mitra, the Indian-origin chief executive of U.S.-based healthcare real estate giant Welltower, has become the world’s second-highest-paid CEO after receiving a compensation package valued at about $1.17 billion (US$821 million) in 2025, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Mitra’s package ranked behind only Elon Musk, whose compensation was valued at about $224.36 billion (US$158 billion). The figures place Mitra among a small group of global executives whose pay reached extraordinary levels in 2025, as stock-linked awards drove some of the largest corporate compensation packages in recent years.
CEO pay rebounds in 2025
The report said 2025 saw the highest number of executives earning at least $142 million (US$100 million) since 2021. Almost a dozen CEOs crossed the $284 million (US$200 million) mark, reflecting a sharp recovery in top executive compensation.
Mitra’s payout stands out because it came largely through company shares rather than a salary-heavy structure. About $1.12 billion (US$789 million) of his compensation was tied to a stock award issued in October. By the end of the year, the value of those shares had climbed above $1.42 billion (US$1 billion), helped by Welltower’s stock performance, the report said.
From Kolkata to corporate America
Mitra began his academic journey in Kolkata, where he studied engineering at Jadavpur University. He completed a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Instrumentation and Electronics Engineering before moving to the United States.
He later earned an MBA in Applied Value Investing from Columbia Business School, a step that helped shape his career in finance and investment management. Before joining Welltower, Mitra held senior investment roles at Citadel LLC and Millennium Management, where he focused on real estate securities and portfolio management.
Mitra joined Welltower in 2016. The company operates as a major real estate investment trust focused on healthcare and senior housing properties. He became chief investment officer in 2018 before taking over as CEO in 2020.
When Mitra was appointed chief executive, Welltower’s lead independent director Jeffrey H. Donahue praised his “investing and operational acumen” and said his leadership had put the company in a stronger position. Mitra said he was “humbled and honoured” to take on the role and thanked the board and employees for their trust.
Stock award tied to long-term targets
Mitra will not receive the full value of the package right away. About half of the shares are expected to vest in 2031, provided he stays with Welltower.
The rest depends on strict performance targets. Those include increasing Welltower’s market value by 45 per cent and outperforming major stock market indices over five years.
The report also said three other Welltower executives received compensation packages above $142 million (US$100 million), making the company one of the rare firms with four executives crossing that level in the same year.
Other top-paid executives included George Kurtz at about $352 million (US$248 million), Hock Tan at about $291 million (US$205 million), David Zaslav at about $234 million (US$165 million), and Stephen Schwarzman at about $179 million (US$126 million).
Another Indian-origin business leader, Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks, also ranked among the top 10 highest-paid executives. He placed eighth with a package worth about $142 million (US$100 million).
The scale of the awards is expected to draw close attention from investors and corporate governance observers as companies continue to tie executive pay to long-term stock performance and market growth.
