Glocer's pay in 2008 was boosted by the special grant of $26.1 million in restricted stock units. The report filed with the SEC shows the company paid out just under $55 million in special grants to five executives for their work on the integration. The other big chunks were the $15.9 million awarded to Devin Wenig, CEO of the markets Division and just under $8 million to CFO Robert Daleo. Another $7 million was paid to two former executives, with $5 million of that going to former Thomson CEO Richard Harrington, who retired when the Reuters acquisition closed.

Glocer's base pay has remained unchanged at $1.5 million since April 2008 and the company kept it that way for 2010, saying it chooses to offer more opportunity in variable compensation, such as his target bonus of 200 percent of his annual salary. In fact, before the merger, Glocer received a base of $1.67 million. The CEO also had unvested share-based awards valued at $22.5 million at the end of 2009, while Daleo had $11.8 million and Wenig $11.4 million in that category.

Among the other executives, Daleo had $4.9 million in compensation last year; Wenig, $4.7 million, and James Smith, president of the professional division, $4.5 million. Each of the three receive a $1 million annual base salary. None of the top executives received an increase in base pay as the company held the line in 2009 because of the recesssion.

The company, in explaining its support for the non-binding advisory vote on compensation, said that the resolution is a recommended best practice of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. The annual meeting is scheduled for May 14 in Toronto with a live Webcast in London.