Top 20 CEO Salaries: Biotech Tool Providers

Following is a list of 20 current or former CEOs of life sciences tools and technologies providers who led their companies for at least part of 2012, ranked by their "total compensation" last year. Total compensation goes beyond salary to include bonuses, stock awards, stock option awards, nonequity incentive plan compensation, and all other sources of compensation. For each CEO ranked, the list offers 2012 and 2011 compensation, the percentage change between the amounts.

This year, unlike last year, rankings are of individuals rather than companies to align with GEN’s similarly reranked list of biopharma CEOs published earlier this year. Also unlike GEN’s first such list in 2012 (See "Top 15 CEO Salaries: Biotech Tool Providers", published September 11, 2012, in GEN), less than half (eight of 20 CEOs) saw their total compensation increase over the previous year, compared with 10 of the top 15 CEOs ranked by GEN in 2011.

One possible reason: Most tools companies focused more of their spending on R&D (See "Top 22 R&D Spenders among Tool and Technologies Companies," published in GEN April 2, 2013). Another possibility: Tools and tech companies opted to use cash on hand for acquisitions as the segment consolidates among fewer players, reflected best by Thermo Fisher Scientific’s plans announced in April to acquire Life Technologies.

Four of this year’s Top 20 CEOs either assumed their positions or added to their responsibilities in 2011 or 2012. As with the biopharma CEO pay list, all of the top-paid tools-tech CEOs were male.

Following is a list of 20 current or former CEOs of life sciences tools and technologies providers who led their companies for at least part of 2012, ranked by their "total compensation" last year. Total compensation goes beyond salary to include bonuses, stock awards, stock option awards, nonequity incentive plan compensation, and all other sources of compensation. For each CEO ranked, the list offers 2012 and 2011 compensation, the percentage change between the amounts.

This year, unlike last year, rankings are of individuals rather than companies to align with GEN’s similarly reranked list of biopharma CEOs published earlier this year. Also unlike GEN’s first such list in 2012 (See "Top 15 CEO Salaries: Biotech Tool Providers", published September 11, 2012, in GEN), less than half (eight of 20 CEOs) saw their total compensation increase over the previous year, compared with 10 of the top 15 CEOs ranked by GEN in 2011.

One possible reason: Most tools companies focused more of their spending on R&D (See "Top 22 R&D Spenders among Tool and Technologies Companies," published in GEN April 2, 2013). Another possibility: Tools and tech companies opted to use cash on hand for acquisitions as the segment consolidates among fewer players, reflected best by Thermo Fisher Scientific’s plans announced in April to acquire Life Technologies.

Four of this year’s Top 20 CEOs either assumed their positions or added to their responsibilities in 2011 or 2012. As with the biopharma CEO pay list, all of the top-paid tools-tech CEOs were male.