Mining producer Develop Global’s chief executive officer (CEO) Bill Beament has been marked as the highest-paid Australian CEO in 2025 thanks to surging gold prices and the sale of shares.
As reported by the AFR, using data provided by OpenDirector, Beament is said to have pocketed over $59 million after 14 million options in the company were converted into shares – marking the biggest windfall for an Australian CEO this year.
It’s understood this boosted Beament’s paper wealth by $58 million following the options being converted to shares at a cost of $9.1 million.
Beament isn’t the only mining and resources chief to make the top 20 – with eight other top dogs also making the list, including Alcoa’s William Oplinger ($26.1 million), Rio Tinto’s former boss Jakob Stausholm ($15.6 million) and BHP Group’s Michael Henry ($13.7 million).
Leaders from WA1 Resources, Genesis Minerals, Northern Star Resources and Yancoal Australia also featured.
The abundance in resources chiefs on the list is partly due to the near-50 per cent increase in the price of gold, with the commodity price reaching record highs earlier this year.
Analysis shows both healthcare and mining sectors stood out for having the highest gap between statutory reported and realised remuneration due to CEOs reportedly cashing in on long-term incentives now worth much more than when they were granted.
“Many CEOs in the materials sector received one-off options during their companies’ pre-production phases, where outcomes could be either highly lucrative or worthless,” OpenDirector Donald Hellyer said.
“Their willingness to take risks and invest effort paid off, particularly as rising gold prices and share values boosted returns.”
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