So while the great and good enjoy the sun, snow and schmoozing in Davos, I can’t help but wonder what they’ll have to say about executive pay. We’ve been hearing a lot about fat cats, bankers’ bonuses and spreading perceptions of inequality, even protests. But is it really that bad? Should you know anyone who’s going to the Swiss speech-fest, here are a few stats to enliven the conversation.

According to research by the University of Exeter Business School, executive pay is a 'potential timebomb'. Professor Annie Pye’s study reports that the average annual salary for a CEO of a FTSE 100 listed company was £150,000 in 1987. Today that figure is £4million.