CEO Pay Watch: Overall compensation for Ecolab's Douglas Baker fell by half in 2015

March 22, 2016 at 1:22AM

Paywatch

DOUGLAS BAKER JR. ECOLAB INC. CHAIRMAN AND CEO

Total compensation: $23,772,803 for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015

Salary: $1,140,343

Nonequity incentive pay: $0

Other compensation: $139,888

Exercised stock options: $17,566,225

Value realized on vesting shares: $4,926,347

New stock options: 173,036

Total 2015 shareholder return: 10.7 percent

Note: Baker's compensation in 2015 was about half of what he took home in 2014, when his total compensation was $47.3 million. Total compensation for the previous two years was largely the result of long-held stock options that he exercised.

Baker exercised 210,500 options in 2015 after exercising 603,100 options for $38.6 million in 2014.

In annual compensation categories, Baker's base salary went up 3.5 percent for the year but he didn't earn an annual bonus. Baker's annual bonus is based on Ecolab's adjusted earnings per share, which was $4.37 per share in 2015, below the minimum payout level of $4.50.

According to the proxy: "Ecolab's businesses experienced a number of headwinds in 2015, including reduced energy activity, slower international economies and unfavorable currency translation, which made our executives' performance goals challenging."

Ecloab's energy segments were a lag on overall corporate earnings. Some Ecolab executives earned annual bonuses based the results of their business segments.

PATRICK KENNEDY

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