Shankh Mitra Among World's Highest-Paid CEOs

Shankh Mitra, an Indian-origin executive and CEO of US-based Welltower, received a 2025 compensation package valued at about $821 million, placing him second in The Wall Street Journal's annual ranking of top-paid CEOs, behind Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

This figure requires context. The vast majority of Mitra's 2025 compensation came from stock awards and long-term incentives. His base salary was $1.3 million, while the total reported compensation, including stock awards, was about $821.1 million.

From Jadavpur University to Columbia Business School

Mitra's academic journey began in Kolkata. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Jadavpur University and an MBA in Applied Value Investing from Columbia Business School, where he was a Dean's List honoree. His educational background is notable because his undergraduate degree was not from an IIT or NIT.

From PwC to Wall Street

Mitra began his professional career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He subsequently moved into investment management, working as an analyst at Fidelity Investments and Citadel Investment Group. He later joined Millennium Management as a portfolio manager specialising in real estate securities.

This experience brought him to Welltower in 2016. He joined as Senior Vice President for Finance and Investments. He rose rapidly, becoming Senior Vice President for Investments in 2018 and Chief Investment Officer later that year. In October 2020, just four years after joining, he became Welltower's Chief Executive Officer.

What does Welltower do?

Welltower is a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust. It invests in properties and infrastructure connected to senior housing, post-acute care and healthcare systems. Its business sits at the intersection of real estate, finance and healthcare.

Why is his compensation so high?

Welltower's 2026 proxy filing shows that approximately $813 million of Mitra's reported 2025 compensation came from stock awards. The company also introduced a long-term compensation arrangement under which substantial portions of the awards are subject to time-based and performance-based conditions.

Therefore, the headline figure should not be interpreted as a one-year salary. A significant portion represents the value assigned to shares and incentives tied to long-term performance.

A different kind of success story

Mitra's career offers a lesson for students because it challenges the idea that an IIT degree is the only route to global corporate leadership. His journey began with engineering at Jadavpur University, followed by an MBA at Columbia Business School. He then built expertise across accounting, investment management, portfolio strategy and real estate before moving into senior leadership at Welltower.