New EasyJet CEO Slashes Salary to Match his Female Predecessor's

EasyJet’s newly hired chief executive officer will cut his pay to match his predecessor’s in a move to help the company move closer toward gender equality. When Johan Lundgren took over the CEO position from Carolyn McCallgh, he cut his pay by 4.6 percent—knocking it down from 740,000 pounds to 706,000 pounds. EasyJet is at the forefront of a national movement to lessen the pay gap. Additionally, the budget airline also hopes to increase the number of female pilots by 20%. 

Government data showed that in the UK men out earn women at every level across industries. According to Skift: “easyJet came under fire after it said there was a 51.7 percent difference between men and women, driven by the gender imbalance among its pilots, its highest paid position. Only 5 percent of the carrier’s flight-deck crew are women, though that proportion is higher than the industry average of 4 percent, it said.”

“At easyJet we are absolutely committed to giving equal pay and equal opportunity for women and men…I also want to affirm my own commitment to address the gender imbalance in our pilot community which drives our overall gender pay gap,” Lundgren said.

EasyJet became the first airline to publish details of gender pay gaps required by the government, while other airlines in Britain have yet to do so.