Investor uproar | Has AstraZeneca's CEO proven that exec pay is out of control?

The morality of executive pay is very much one of the key workplace battles of our time; throughout the pandemic, many major firms such as Co-op and Foxtons have garnered a wealth of criticism for the morality of offering bonuses to bosses despite furloughing staff throughout the pandemic.

Now, pharma giant AstraZeneca, responsible for the production of one of the most widely available coronavirus vaccines, has found itself at the centre of an executive pay scandal.

The company is facing mass opposition to the decision to offer Chief Executive Pascal Soriot a sizeable bonus increase. As well as a public outcry, a total of three key investor advisory groups have called on shareholders to vote against the policy, believing it to be morally corrupt.

The three institutions, Pirc, Glass Lewis and ISS, this week raised concerns over the decision to raise Soriot’s maximum share bonus from 550% of his salary of £1.3million, to 650%, with the leader’s annual bonus also revised to 250% of his salary from 200%.