New salary record: Palo Alto CEO received compensation worth $80.3 million

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora received compensation worth $80.3 million in fiscal year 2026, mostly equity-based. This sets a new salary record on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The shareholders' meeting on December 8 will vote on the appointment of directors and approval of the compensation.

Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks published a notice for its shareholders' meeting, revealing that CEO Nikesh Arora received total compensation of $80.3 million during fiscal year 2026. Nearly all of this amount, $75.9 million, was granted as equity compensation, while his annual base salary stood at $1 million. This marks a new salary record on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. For comparison, the top earners on the local exchange in 2025 included Formula CEO Guy Bernstein with compensation costs of about $29.9 million, Teva CEO Richard Francis with $19.2 million, and Nice CEO Scott Russell with $12.7 million. Arora recently sold Palo Alto shares under a forward agreement, receiving $147 million in return. The shareholders' meeting will be held on December 8, where votes will be cast on the appointment of directors and approval of executive compensation. Three other senior executives at the company received compensation ranging from $13.8 million to $21.8 million each.