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Private Equity Chief Dealmakers

Earnings

Salaries for private equity executives rank among the highest in any industry. Managing partners earned base salaries of $200,000 to more than $2.5 million in 2023, according to the 2024 North American Private Equity Investment Professional Compensation Survey from Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. Annual earnings for the very top chief dealmakers can range in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Chief dealmakers receive excellent benefits packages, including vacation days, sick leave, top of the line health and life insurance, and a 401(k) or other retirement savings plan. They also receive a management fee, which is typically 2 percent of the fund’s value and carried interest (often referred to as carry), which is a share of the profits of an investment fund that is paid to the partner in excess of the amount he or she contributed to the partnership.