CTO Craft and Albany release latest compensation survey results, revealing key trends in technology leadership salary and equity

LONDON, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CTO Craft, a leading authority in CTO and technology leadership development and Albany, specialists in technology and product leadership executive search, interim management and team builds, have released the results of their latest 2025 Compensation Survey. The report offers a detailed snapshot of salary and equity trends and evolving compensation strategies across global tech leaders.

The survey, which gathered data from over 500 CTOs, as well as other technology and engineering leaders from their community and beyond, provides a comprehensive look at how organisations are approaching compensation in today's rapidly shifting economic and talent landscapes.

Andy Skipper, CTO Craft Founder, said, "This year's report captures the ongoing market adjustments and highlights some significant shifts compared to last year's data. The emphasis on strategic leadership, efficient team building, and thoughtful AI integration, strongly resonates with the pragmatic approaches I'm witnessing within our network, and this is a trend that has become more pronounced since last year."

Key findings include:

• Global compensation differences: The US continues to lead in compensation and Western Europe follows. The UK compensation is in the mid-to-upper range compared to its European peers, but lags behind the US.
• Equity findings: Western Europe demonstrated strong initial equity grants with 5% securing grants exceeding £1m in value. The report gives you insights into how companies compare to the norm.
• Retention and employee value: 41% of engineering leaders are considering leaving their roles. The top drivers include a lack of faith in leadership, concerns over company culture and performance and the need for better work-life balance.
• Flexible working: Despite the widespread narrative that "everyone is going back to the office," the results show a 2% increase from last year on people returning to the office full time.
• Layoffs: There is a slight decline compared to last year, however the investor-backed tech sector continues to see significant layoffs.

"The market for product and engineering talent is still relatively subdued, partly due to the broader economic climate, and partly because we're all still feeling the aftershocks of the post-COVID boom and inflated valuations," said James Goodrich, Albany's CEO. "This year we're digging into what motivates tech leaders to stay or leave. The competition for top-tier talent is heating up, and companies are experimenting with different compensation levers to attract and retain the best of the best."

He added, "Technology isn't just an enabler – it's a core value driver. Investors and founders alike are doubling down on tech leadership as a route to efficiency, defensibility, and long-term value creation. As a result, we're seeing equity used more aggressively as a competitive weapon – a way to tip the scales and land the rare leaders who can unlock disproportionate impact."

The report also highlights global pay disparities, the growing influence of AI on retention and roles and the debate around the CTPO or CPTO.

The full 2025 Compensation Survey Report is now available:
https://ctocraft.com/compensation-survey-report-2025/

For more information, to request the full report, or to speak with one of the tech leadership experts, please visit: https://ctocraft.com.

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