(Bloomberg) -- It’s payback time for the bosses of Australia’s biggest listed companies. 

The median bonus awarded to chief executive officers in their 2021 financial years surged to 77% of the potential maximum, from just 31% the previous year when the pandemic shredded payouts, according to a survey of ASX 100 firms by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors. That’s the highest level reported in the seven years the group has been collecting the data.

“An increase is expected when you have had your lowest year on record, but it is concerning to see bonuses not just rebounding but reaching new heights,” ACSI chief Louise Davidson said. “This is of particular concern at a time in which markets are again in significant turmoil and returns to investors will be under pressure.”

The average bonus paid to leaders of ASX 100 companies also swelled to a new high of A$2.31 million ($1.6 million) in the period, just surpassing 2017’s peak of A$2.3 million. Macquarie Group Ltd.’s Shemara Wikramanayake was the highest-paid boss on a reported-pay basis – or pay calculated under Australia’s disclosure rules.

Afterpay Ltd. co-CEOs Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar set a record for realized pay, raking in a combined A$264 million. Their gains came in August 2020 after they each exercised 1.5 million options at A$1 a piece, as the company’s share price traded near A$90.

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