 McGee was promoted to chief executive of Barclays Americas in 2013, in an effort to stem the departure of key staff in New York City.The parent Barclays initially approved high retention pay to keep New York personnel, but in the light of falling profits this caused increasing public criticism in the UK and a shareholder revolt, leading Barclays to reign in bonuses thereafter.In March 2014, McGee earned a $15 million bonus in stock, which was around double of what the Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins received.