Who is Shankh Mitra, CEO with a $821-million salary, second only to Elon Musk?

Shankh Mitra, the Indian-American chief executive of real estate investment trust Welltower, received compensation totaling $821 million in 2023, making him the second-highest-paid CEO in the United States after Tesla's Elon Musk.

Mitra's pay package was largely driven by stock awards tied to the company's performance. Welltower, which specializes in healthcare real estate such as senior housing and medical offices, saw its share price rise significantly during the year.

The CEO's compensation has drawn attention due to its magnitude and the structure of the awards. Mitra, who has led Welltower since 2020, previously served as the company's chief investment officer.

The $821 million figure places Mitra well ahead of other top-paid executives, though still far behind Musk, whose compensation was valued at over $10 billion in 2023, largely from stock options.