Could US-Style 1,000% Bonuses Be Heading to the City?—The Sunday Times

In The Sunday Times, Farient Advisors UK partner Simon Patterson weighs in on the growing debate around executive pay in the UK and whether pressure to compete globally—particularly with U.S. compensation models—is pushing boards toward higher levels of pay.

“There is a pay gap,” said Simon Patterson, “that contributes to an overall sense that being on the UK stock exchange pays less well.”

The article explores how UK-listed companies are increasingly revisiting pay structures to attract and retain top talent, with rising bonus potential and evolving incentive design becoming central themes. As companies balance competitiveness with shareholder expectations, the question isn’t just how much to pay—but how to structure pay in a way that aligns with performance, risk, and long-term value creation.

Read the full article to explore how US-style pay pressures are reshaping executive compensation in the UK.

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About Simon Patterson

Partner

simon.patterson@farient.com

Simon has more than 30-plus years’ experience as a trusted advisor to an array of listed and privately held companies and is a Partner at Farient Advisors. He consults widely on the topic of aligning incentives with performance and has deep experience with companies undergoing significant challenges.

Simon is the author of Knowledge Base publications, wrote a regular blog on subjects related to executive pay, and chairs several conferences, including the European Compensation & Benefits Conference (held in a major European capital annually) as well as the Neovation Conference (held in London). He is a member of the UK’s Remuneration Consulting Group, the body which oversees the industry’s Code of Practice.

Before joining Farient, Simon was the Managing Director of Remuneration Associates (Rem.n), in London, serving clients across the EMEA Region. Prior to that, Simon was a Worldwide Partner with Marsh & McLennan and led Mercer’s executive compensation practice in the UK.

In 1994, Simon co-founded the London office of Strategic Compensation Associates (SCA Consulting), where he joined Robin Ferracone in partnership. He ran SCA Consulting in Europe until the partnership was acquired by Marsh & McLennan in 2001.

Simon holds a BSc from University College London and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

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