Gender pay battle erupts at EasyJet
Fury as firm appoints rookie male boss to replace star chief Carolyn McCall . . . and pays him MORE
EASYJET was attacked last night for paying more to its new inexperienced male chief executive than was paid to female predecessor Dame Carolyn McCall.
As women campaigned on Equal Pay Day, the budget airline revealed that new chief Johan Lundgren will earn a higher salary than Dame Carolyn – one of Britain’s most sought-after bosses.
Lundgren, who previously worked at Thompson owner TUI, will receive a basic salary of £740,000 despite never having held a role of comparable importance.
This is £36,000 more than McCall’s basic pay after her seven well-regarded years at the helm of the business.
The generous offer to Lundgren infuriated campaigners and serves to further highlight the gender pay gap in businesses across the country.
The father of two, 51, could even earn an extra £1.5m in bonuses and another £1.9m in long-term share rewards.
He has never run a major company before, and spent months on gardening leave after his last senior management job as a deputy boss.
Lundgren’s starting salary is far ahead of McCall’s, who is leaving the budget carrier to head up ITV at the end of this month. She is one of Britain’s most highly regarded business brains, having transformed the airline.
McCall was paid a basic salary of £704,000 last year, given a bonus of £189,000 and £518,000 in long-term share rewards.
The boss, who has been a fierce advocate of getting more women in the boardroom, also turned down the role of chief executive of Marks & Spencer.
Equal pay campaigners yesterday slammed the move to pay Lundgren more than McCall.
Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, said: ‘This is a classic example of a less experienced man being more highly valued than the experienced woman he is replacing, for no other reason than the fact that he is a man.
‘This is why we are campaigning for equal pay, because it is unfair that women have to fight all the time for recognition, while it is handed on a plate to men.’
Stefan Stern, director of the UK’s High Pay Centre, said: ‘It doesn’t look great that he has come in higher than his predecessor, it’s going to raise a few eyebrows.’
After joining EasyJet in 2010, 56year-old mother–of–three McCall oversaw a steady rise in its share price of more than 200pc to its current level. Before that she served as chief executive of Guardian Media Group, having worked her way up from her role as a research planner.
Lundgren, by comparison, joins from tour operator TUI, where he was group deputy chief executive and had previously run its mainstream tourism division.
He left that job in March 2015 as part of a restructuring, and spent a long period on leave before working as a consultant.
The businessman will take up the top job at EasyJet on December 1.
An EasyJet spokesman said: ‘Johan’s basic salary is broadly in line with our current chief executive and the structure remuneration package is identical.’