Macquarie Group's chief executive, Nicholas Moore, is on track to become the nation's highest paid listed company boss, after being keenly rewarded for hitting a record 2016 annual profit.   
The financial services heavyweight has now beaten the profit delivered in 2008 by Mr Moore's predecessor, Allan Moss, on Friday posting a $2.06 billion earnings result for the 12 months ended   March 31. 
The company's annual report showed Mr Moore's total remuneration jumped 10 per cent to $18.1 million from $16.5 million in financial year 2015.
His remuneration included a base salary of $819,337 and equity awards including shares of $7.1 million, and short-term employee benefits of $6.1 million.  About $1.2 million of his remuneration is paid in a profit-share arrangement, with a large proportion retained in Macquarie stock and funds.
The balance is made up of earnings on the previous year's restricted profit share, short-term and long-term benefits and performance-related remuneration.
In The Australian Financial Review's 2015 salary survey Mr Moore came in second, pipped only by former head of Amcor, Ken MacKenzie, who retired after 10 years in the job on $20.92 million.
Mr Moore's pay is, however, closely linked to performance and peaked at more than $32.9 million in 2007 ahead of the onset of the global financial crisis. In 2009, during the financial crisis, he was paid just $290,756.
Mr Moore's mammoth 2016 pay packet which exceeds that of Australia's big four bank chiefs is, however, lower than many of his US peers. JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, the bank's chief executive and chairman, raked in US$27 million ($36 million) for 2015. Other firms including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley saw chief executive pay curbed amid more difficult operating conditions. 
Goldman's Lloyd Blankfein annual pay was US$23 million, $1 million less than he made in 2014, while at Morgan Stanley James Gorman's compensation fell to US$21 million, from $22.5 million.
Macquarie's asset management boss, Shemara Wikramanayake, came in second to Mr Moore in the Macquarie pay stakes for 2016 among the company's group executives. She had total remuneration of $17.6 million for 2016 compared with $16.3 million a year earlier.
Interestingly, in third spot was co-head of corporate and asset finance Ben Brazil whose total pay soared to $15.1 million from $10.7 million in 2015. 
The CAF division, of which Mr Brazil is responsible for lending, has recently been called out for its exposures in securities that are colloquially called "junk bonds". Within the industry they are referred to as high-yield debt. Macquarie calls them sub-investment grade.

 Macquarie's staff will learn of their bonuses today as the firm reclaims the mantle as The Millionaires' Factory.