Companies WK Kellogg Co
WK Kellogg (KLG): executive pay, fiscal 2024
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CEO vs. named peers38th pct.Of 8 peer CEOs
CEO pay, last three years
- $4,022,641FY2022
- $9,020,320FY2023
- $6,075,975FY2024
CEO total pay was $6,075,975 in fiscal 2024, down from $9,020,320 in fiscal 2023.
FY2024: salary $1,000,000 · bonus $0 · stock awards $3,322,668 · option awards $0
Frequently asked questions
Who was the highest-paid executive at WK Kellogg Co in fiscal 2024?
As disclosed, Gary Pilnick (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at WK Kellogg Co in fiscal 2024, with total compensation of $6,075,975.
How does WK Kellogg Co's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, Gary Pilnick's total compensation ranked at the 38th percentile of WK Kellogg Co's disclosed peer group.
What is WK Kellogg Co's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, WK Kellogg Co's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 68:1.
How much does WK Kellogg Co spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2024?
As disclosed, WK Kellogg Co reported total board compensation of $1,735,000 for fiscal 2024.
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Pilnick | $1,000,000 | $0 | $3,322,668 | $0 | $1,507,000 | $0 | $246,307 | $6,075,975 |
| Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| David McKinstray | 538,462 | 0 | 905,350 | 0 | 602,800 | 0 | 76,270 | 2,122,882 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Douglas VanDeVelde | 550,000 | 239,000 | 704,897 | 0 | 436,150 | 0 | 111,445 | 2,041,492 |
| Chief Growth Officer | ||||||||
| Sherry Brice | 442,308 | 0 | 502,557 | 0 | 405,178 | 0 | 75,545 | 1,425,588 |
| Chief Supply Chain Officer | ||||||||
| Bruce Brown | 455,000 | 0 | 503,006 | 0 | 360,815 | 0 | 96,914 | 1,415,735 |
| Chief Customer Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | FY2022 total | Δ FY2023→2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Pilnick | $6,075,975 | $9,020,320 | $4,022,641 | ↓ −2,944,345 |
| David McKinstray | 2,122,882 | 2,273,212 | 1,354,320 | ↓ −150,330 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | 2,041,492 | 2,418,668 | 1,727,226 | ↓ −377,176 |
| Sherry Brice | 1,425,588 | 1,824,499 | 824,681 | ↓ −398,911 |
| Bruce Brown | 1,415,735 | 2,021,685 | 1,064,984 | ↓ −605,950 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis
WK Kellogg designs executive compensation to attract, motivate, and retain executives by offering competitive pay tied to Company and individual performance, targeting the median of competitive market practices. A meaningful portion of target compensation is 'at-risk' to align executive interests with Shareowners and drive short- and long-term business strategy.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Willis Towers Watson |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2024
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry Brice | PSU | 2024-02-15 | — | 16,634 | — | 33,268 | $250,009 |
| Sherry Brice | RSU | 2024-02-15 | — | — | 16,634 | — | 250,009 |
| Bruce Brown | PSU | 2024-02-15 | — | 16,634 | — | 33,268 | 250,009 |
| Bruce Brown | RSU | 2024-02-15 | — | — | 16,634 | — | 250,009 |
| Gary Pilnick | PSU | 2024-02-15 | — | 109,781 | — | 219,562 | 1,650,008 |
| Gary Pilnick | RSU | 2024-02-15 | — | — | 109,781 | — | 1,650,008 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | PSU | 2024-02-15 | — | 23,287 | — | 46,574 | 350,004 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | RSU | 2024-02-15 | — | — | 23,287 | — | 350,004 |
| David McKinstray | RSU | 2024-02-15 | — | — | 29,941 | — | 450,013 |
| David McKinstray | PSU | 2024-02-15 | — | 29,941 | — | 59,882 | 450,013 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry Brice | $250,009 | $250,009 | $0 | 50.0% |
| Bruce Brown | 250,009 | 250,009 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Gary Pilnick | 1,650,008 | 1,650,008 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | 350,004 | 350,004 | 0 | 50.0% |
| David McKinstray | 450,013 | 450,013 | 0 | 50.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2024
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry Brice | RSU | 15,464 | — | $276,496 |
| Sherry Brice | RSU | 17,223 | — | 307,947 |
| Sherry Brice | PSU | 17,223 | — | 307,947 |
| Bruce Brown | RSU | 17,223 | — | 307,947 |
| Bruce Brown | PSU | 17,223 | — | 307,947 |
| David McKinstray | RSU | 18,173 | — | 324,933 |
| Bruce Brown | RSU | 18,173 | — | 324,933 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | RSU | 24,112 | — | 431,123 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | PSU | 24,112 | — | 431,123 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | RSU | 29,730 | — | 531,572 |
| David McKinstray | RSU | 31,002 | — | 554,316 |
| David McKinstray | PSU | 31,002 | — | 554,316 |
| Douglas VanDeVelde | RSU | 73,868 | — | 1,320,760 |
| Sherry Brice | RSU | 73,868 | — | 1,320,760 |
| Bruce Brown | RSU | 73,868 | — | 1,320,760 |
| David McKinstray | RSU | 94,551 | — | 1,690,572 |
| Gary Pilnick | RSU | 113,671 | — | 2,032,437 |
| Gary Pilnick | PSU | 113,671 | — | 2,032,437 |
| Gary Pilnick | RSU | 146,630 | — | 2,621,744 |
| Gary Pilnick | RSU | 389,991 | — | 6,973,039 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack GundIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Compensation · Nominating and Governance (Chair) | $145,000 | $140,000 | $0 | — | — | $285,000 |
| Wendy ArlinIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation | 115,000 | 140,000 | 0 | — | — | 255,000 |
| R. David Banyard JrIndependent · Compensation (Chair) | 115,000 | 140,000 | 0 | — | — | 255,000 |
| Ramón MurguíaIndependent · Compensation · Nominating & Governance | 95,000 | 140,000 | 0 | — | — | 235,000 |
| Julio NemethIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Governance | 95,000 | 140,000 | 0 | — | — | 235,000 |
| Michael CorboIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Governance | 95,000 | 140,000 | 0 | — | — | 235,000 |
| Mindy SherwoodIndependent · Compensation · Nominating and Governance | 95,000 | 140,000 | 0 | — | — | 235,000 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $95,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 20,000 / 20,000 / 15,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $475,000 |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2024 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $755,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $980,000 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,735,000 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names WK Kellogg as a peer
Companies that benchmark against KLG
1 company names KLG as a compensation peer
The list of companies that name KLG as a peer is temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.
Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2024
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
FLO Flowers Foods, Inc.ENR Energizer Holdings, Inc.EPC Edgewell Personal Care CompanyBRBR BellRing Brands, Inc.JJSF J&J Snack Foods Corp.BGS B&G Foods, Inc.CENT Central Garden & Pet CompanyLW Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
Peer reciprocity
The companies WK Kellogg Co names as compensation peers that name it back in their own disclosed peer groups.
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. | 2026 | Michael Smith | $1,000,000 | $5,704,557 | $7,379,936 | $1,830,000 | $16,004,614 |
| 2 | Energizer Holdings, Inc. | 2025 | Mark LaVigne | 1,045,500 | 8,605,084 | 0 | 1,145,665 | 10,972,516 |
| 3 | Edgewell Personal Care Company | 2025 | Rod Little | 1,100,000 | 7,576,100 | — | 907,500 | 9,754,366 |
| 4 | Flowers Foods, Inc. | 2025 | A. Ryals McMullian | 1,041,730 | 5,735,842 | 0 | 733,524 | 7,776,698 |
| 5 | BellRing Brands, Inc. | 2025 | Darcy Horn Davenport | 950,025 | 4,400,000 | 0 | 1,055,715 | 6,563,539 |
| 6 | WK Kellogg Co | 2024 | Gary Pilnick | 1,000,000 | 3,322,668 | 0 | 1,507,000 | 6,075,975 |
| 7 | B&G Foods, Inc. | 2025 | Kenneth Keller | 1,224,258 | 2,625,864 | 0 | 710,437 | 4,589,619 |
| 8 | J&J Snack Foods Corp. | 2025 | Daniel Fachner | 1,021,923 | 2,059,974 | 0 | 834,300 | 3,978,648 |
| 9 | Central Garden & Pet Company | 2025 | Nicholas Lahanas | 893,365 | 1,000,022 | 0 | — | 1,905,762 |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Incentive design against the same peers
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WK Kellogg Co | not disclosed | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | not disclosed | Willis Towers Watson |
| B&G Foods, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners |
| BellRing Brands, Inc. | 88.9% of target for corporate level NEOs; 92.9% of target for business unit level NEO (Mr. Singh).% | PRSUs 80 · RSUs 20 | Yes — Relative TSR | Aon |
| Central Garden & Pet Company | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Pay Governance |
| Edgewell Personal Care Company | 66% | not disclosed | No | Meridian |
| Energizer Holdings, Inc. | 87.67% | PSU 70 · RSU 30 | No | Farient |
| Flowers Foods, Inc. | 56.3% | PSU 70 · RSU 30 | Yes — TSR vs. Peer Group | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| J&J Snack Foods Corp. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. | 122% | RSU 40 · PSU 30 · Options 30 | Yes — Relative TSR | F.W. Cook |
Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
No say-on-pay vote is on file for this company.
CEO pay ratio
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 68 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $6,075,975 |
| Median employee compensation | $89,032 |
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (36 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Gary Pilnick. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 37. As printed: 6,075,975. View filing ↗
- Section 01, David McKinstray. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 2,122,882. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Douglas VanDeVelde. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 2,041,492. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Sherry Brice. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,425,588. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Bruce Brown. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,415,735. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Sherry Brice PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Sherry Brice RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Bruce Brown PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Bruce Brown RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Gary Pilnick PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Gary Pilnick RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Douglas VanDeVelde PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Douglas VanDeVelde RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, David McKinstray RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, David McKinstray PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 68 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Zack Gund. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 285,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Wendy Arlin. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 255,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, R. David Banyard Jr. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 255,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Ramón Murguía. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 235,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Julio Nemeth. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 235,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael Corbo. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 235,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Mindy Sherwood. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 235,000. View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 755,000 + equity 980,000 + all other 0 = 1,735,000, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 16,004,614. View filing ↗
- Energizer Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-12. CEO total compensation as printed in Energizer Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 10,972,516. View filing ↗
- Edgewell Personal Care Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Edgewell Personal Care Company's own proxy. As printed: 9,754,366. View filing ↗
- Flowers Foods, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-14. CEO total compensation as printed in Flowers Foods, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 7,776,698. View filing ↗
- BellRing Brands, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-16. CEO total compensation as printed in BellRing Brands, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,563,539. View filing ↗
- WK Kellogg Co (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-03-12. CEO total compensation as printed in WK Kellogg Co's own proxy. As printed: 6,075,975. View filing ↗
- B&G Foods, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-03. CEO total compensation as printed in B&G Foods, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,589,619. View filing ↗
- J&J Snack Foods Corp., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-01-02. CEO total compensation as printed in J&J Snack Foods Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,978,648. View filing ↗
- Central Garden & Pet Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-22. CEO total compensation as printed in Central Garden & Pet Company's own proxy. As printed: 1,905,762. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. names WK Kellogg Co in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗