Ares Management (ARES) executive compensation, 2026 proxy

Michael J Arougheti, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, was paid $68.3M in 2025, down 20% from $85.4M the year before. The CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio was 346:1, on median employee pay of $197,440.

Filed
April 21, 2026
Annual meeting
June 8, 2026
Pay year
2025
Named executives
6
CEO total pay
$68.3M-20% vs prior year
CEO to median employee
346:1median $197,440
CEO pay in equity
73%$49.5M in awards
Prior say-on-pay support
92%of votes cast
CEO Total Compensation
$68.3MDecrease from prior year
Median Employee Pay
$197,440Based on 2025 payroll records
CEO Pay Ratio
346:1Compared to median employee
Say-on-Pay Support
92.3%Prior year approval rate

How Arougheti was paid

$68.3M in total for 2025, as reported in the Summary Compensation Table. Equity awards are valued at grant, not at what they turned out to be worth.

Stock awards73%All other compensation27%

Named executive officers

ExecutiveTotal
Michael J AroughetiCo-Founder and Chief Executive Officer$68,279,532
R. Kipp deVeerCo-President$71,930,731
Blair JacobsonCo-President$49,818,246
Jarrod PhillipsChief Financial Officer$9,793,670
Naseem Sagati AghiliGeneral Counsel and Corporate Secretary$7,828,839
Ryan BerryChief Marketing and Strategy Officer$11,811,608

What changed and why

  • $68.3MCEO total compensation decreased to $68,279,532 in fiscal 2025 from $85,381,842 in fiscal 2024.
  • $49.5MStock awards for the CEO totaled $49,520,000 for fiscal 2025.
  • 92.3%Stockholders approved the prior year executive compensation program with 92.3% support at the annual meeting.
  • The ratio of the CEO annual total compensation to the median employee total compensation was 346:1.

About this page

Figures are automated and can be wrong; check the filing for the exact numbers. Totals follow SEC rules, which value stock and option awards at grant. Read the DEF 14A proxy statement for footnotes and the compensation committee's full reasoning.