Burberry faces AGM backlash over chairman and 'excessive' executive pay

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Burberry will face shareholder anger at its annual meeting next week as shareholder lobby group Pirc urged shareholders to vote against its chairman and ‘excessive’ executive pay.

Pirc said share awards of chief executive officer Christopher Bailey are equivalent to 1185.4 per cent of his salary and are excessive, as is the ratio of chief executive to average employee pay at 86:1.

Last year 52 per cent of shareholders did not support Burberry’s remuneration report and this year Pirc has again questioned chairman Sir John Peace’s role, which it said is not independent as he was previously chief executive of GUS, then a majority shareholder.

'Excessive' pay: Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey, pictured with model Cara Delevingne

Pirc also raised questions over the independence of board members such as Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch and EasyJet boss Carolyn McCall.