Is the Nike CEO Overpaid?
On pay-for-performance, Nike scores D (46/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Elliott Hill earned $26.0M in 2025 while the company posted a -10.7% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: Is the Nike CEO Overpaid?. The answer draws on SEC DEF 14A proxy statements, the public disclosure mechanism for U.S. public-company executive pay. Every public company must file an annual proxy statement disclosing CEO and named-executive-officer compensation in detail. Why this matters for shareholders: executive compensation is the single most-disclosed governance metric at U.S. public companies, and the Dodd-Frank-mandated say-on-pay vote gives shareholders an explicit channel to express approval or dissent. Reading pay data well — including pay-versus-performance, peer-group selection, and time-vesting structures — is a basic part of stock-by-stock fundamental analysis.
The detailed answer below uses the actual proxy-statement filings, explains how to read them, and translates the executive-compensation accounting into the shareholder-relevant interpretation.
Nike Pay-for-Performance Scorecard
- Pay-for-Performance grade
- D (46/100)
- 3-yr shareholder return
- -10.7%
- 3-yr revenue growth
- -4.9%
- Say-on-pay approval
- 90.6%
- CEO total comp
- $26.0M
- CEO-to-worker ratio
- 650:1
Source: Nike SEC DEF 14A proxy statement. Pay-for-Performance grade is CEOPay's proprietary score (TSR alignment 40%, revenue-vs-pay growth 30%, say-on-pay 20%, pay ratio vs peers 10%).
The CEOPay Pay-for-Performance Score grades Nike a D (46/100). It weighs four factors pulled from the company's SEC filings: three-year total shareholder return alignment (39/100), revenue growth versus compensation growth (40/100), say-on-pay vote support (90/100), and CEO-to-worker pay ratio versus peers (0/100). Elliott Hill's $26,018,068 package is the number those factors judge.
Over the trailing three years, Nike delivered -10.7% total shareholder return on -4.9% revenue growth, and 90.6% of shareholders approved the pay plan in the most recent say-on-pay vote. When pay holds up or rises faster than the returns it is meant to reward, that is the pattern critics point to when they call a package "overpaid."
There is no single threshold for "overpaid." The package only pays out in full if performance and vesting conditions are met, and equity dominates it: $NaN of Elliott Hill's 2025 pay came from stock awards versus $NaN in base salary. Reasonable shareholders weigh the grade, the say-on-pay vote, and the peer-group context together rather than the headline number alone.
Pay & Performance Data
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $26,018,068 |
| Base Salary | $NaN |
| Stock Awards | $NaN |
| Option Awards | $NaN |
| Non-Equity Incentive | $NaN |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 650:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | D |
Frequently Asked Questions
On pay-for-performance, Nike scores D (46/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Elliott Hill earned $26.0M in 2025 while the company posted a -10.7% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates Nike as D (46/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of -10.7%, revenue growth of -4.9%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
Elliott Hill, CEO of Nike, earned $26.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $NaNM in stock awards and $NaN in base salary.
Nike's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 650:1. CEO Elliott Hill earns approximately 650 times the median worker's pay of $40,000, as disclosed in the company's SEC DEF 14A proxy statement.
Elliott Hill is the chief executive officer of Nike (NKE).
More about Nike
On pay-for-performance, Nike scores D (46/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Elliott Hill earned $26.0M in 2025 while the company posted a -10.7% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.