CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Edwards Lifesciences EW
CEO: Bernard Zovighian · Medical Devices · 19,700 employees
Bernard Zovighian, CEO of Edwards Lifesciences (EW), earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025. Edwards Lifesciences receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of B (65/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 89:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 96.0%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -0.6%.
How Edwards Lifesciences CEO Pay Compares
Bernard Zovighian's $8.0M total compensation is 33% below the Medical Devices industry median of $12.0M. The 89:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 20% lower than the industry average of 111:1. Shareholders broadly support this compensation, with 96.0% approval.
Bernard Zovighian, CEO of Edwards Lifesciences (EW), received $8.0M in total reported compensation. The package mix typical at this scale: a small base salary, a larger stock-award component, and performance-tied incentives that vest over multiple years based on relative TSR or earnings benchmarks.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio runs 89x. Lower ratios typically reflect companies with higher-paid workforces (financial services, technology, professional services) where the median worker pay denominator is itself substantial. Performance has been muted across the three-year window: -0.6% TSR, 0.5% revenue change. Stagnant performance combined with substantial CEO pay is the classic setup for proxy-advisor opposition on say-on-pay votes.
Shareholders ratified the compensation package overwhelmingly: 96% of votes cast supported the company's pay practices at the most recent annual meeting. Say-on-pay support above 95% is typical for well-aligned compensation programs without obvious controversy. Edwards Lifesciences operates in Medical Devices with 19,700 employees and $6.4B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $42.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Edwards Lifesciences (EW).
Compensation Breakdown
Bernard Zovighian's $8.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2025 includes $800K in base salary, $4.0M in stock awards, $960K in option awards, and $1.2M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2024 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2023 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2022 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Peer CEO Compensation
Bernard Zovighian, CEO of Edwards Lifesciences (EW), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bernard Zovighian, CEO of Edwards Lifesciences (EW), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Edwards Lifesciences has a Pay-for-Performance Score of B (65/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -0.6%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 96.0% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Edwards Lifesciences is 89:1. The median worker at Edwards Lifesciences earns $90K per year, while CEO Bernard Zovighian earns $8.0M in total compensation.
Edwards Lifesciences employs approximately 19,700 people. The company operates in the Medical Devices industry within the Healthcare sector, generating $6.4B in annual revenue.