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Companies WK Kellogg Co

WK Kellogg (KLG): executive pay, fiscal 2024

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CEO total pay$6,075,975CEO Gary Pilnick · source
CEO vs. named peers38th pct.Of 8 peer CEOs
CEO pay ratio68:1To the median employee · source

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

Full detail

Every table from the filing. Open any section.

Summary compensation table
Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
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 McKinstray538,4620905,3500602,800076,2702,122,882
Chief Financial Officer
Douglas VanDeVelde550,000239,000704,8970436,1500111,4452,041,492
Chief Growth Officer
Sherry Brice442,3080502,5570405,178075,5451,425,588
Chief Supply Chain Officer
Bruce Brown455,0000503,0060360,815096,9141,415,735
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 officerFY2024 totalFY2023 totalFY2022 totalΔ FY2023→2024
Gary Pilnick$6,075,975$9,020,320$4,022,641↓ −2,944,345
David McKinstray2,122,8822,273,2121,354,320↓ −150,330
Douglas VanDeVelde2,041,4922,418,6681,727,226↓ −377,176
Sherry Brice1,425,5881,824,499824,681↓ −398,911
Bruce Brown1,415,7352,021,6851,064,984↓ −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 consultantWillis Towers Watson
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2024

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
Sherry BricePSU2024-02-15—16,634—33,268$250,009
Sherry BriceRSU2024-02-15——16,634—250,009
Bruce BrownPSU2024-02-15—16,634—33,268250,009
Bruce BrownRSU2024-02-15——16,634—250,009
Gary PilnickPSU2024-02-15—109,781—219,5621,650,008
Gary PilnickRSU2024-02-15——109,781—1,650,008
Douglas VanDeVeldePSU2024-02-15—23,287—46,574350,004
Douglas VanDeVeldeRSU2024-02-15——23,287—350,004
David McKinstrayRSU2024-02-15——29,941—450,013
David McKinstrayPSU2024-02-15—29,941—59,882450,013

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Named executive officerTime-vested (RSU)Performance-vested (PSU)Options / SARs% performance-vested
Sherry Brice$250,009$250,009$050.0%
Bruce Brown250,009250,009050.0%
Gary Pilnick1,650,0081,650,008050.0%
Douglas VanDeVelde350,004350,004050.0%
David McKinstray450,013450,013050.0%

% 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

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Sherry BriceRSU15,464—$276,496
Sherry BriceRSU17,223—307,947
Sherry BricePSU17,223—307,947
Bruce BrownRSU17,223—307,947
Bruce BrownPSU17,223—307,947
David McKinstrayRSU18,173—324,933
Bruce BrownRSU18,173—324,933
Douglas VanDeVeldeRSU24,112—431,123
Douglas VanDeVeldePSU24,112—431,123
Douglas VanDeVeldeRSU29,730—531,572
David McKinstrayRSU31,002—554,316
David McKinstrayPSU31,002—554,316
Douglas VanDeVeldeRSU73,868—1,320,760
Sherry BriceRSU73,868—1,320,760
Bruce BrownRSU73,868—1,320,760
David McKinstrayRSU94,551—1,690,572
Gary PilnickRSU113,671—2,032,437
Gary PilnickPSU113,671—2,032,437
Gary PilnickRSU146,630—2,621,744
Gary PilnickRSU389,991—6,973,039
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Zack GundIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Compensation · Nominating and Governance (Chair)$145,000$140,000$0——$285,000
Wendy ArlinIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation115,000140,0000——255,000
R. David Banyard JrIndependent · Compensation (Chair)115,000140,0000——255,000
Ramón MurguíaIndependent · Compensation · Nominating & Governance95,000140,0000——235,000
Julio NemethIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Governance95,000140,0000——235,000
Michael CorboIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Governance95,000140,0000——235,000
Mindy SherwoodIndependent · Compensation · Nominating and Governance95,000140,0000——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

ComponentFY2024
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

Each company listed discloses KLG in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named KLG in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.

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.

Peer reciprocity

Of the companies WK Kellogg Co names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.

Reciprocity shown where the peer’s own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer’s filing. A dash means the peer’s current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including WK Kellogg Co.

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.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.2026Michael Smith$1,000,000$5,704,557$7,379,936$1,830,000$16,004,614
2Energizer Holdings, Inc.2025Mark LaVigne1,045,5008,605,08401,145,66510,972,516
3Edgewell Personal Care Company2025Rod Little1,100,0007,576,100—907,5009,754,366
4Flowers Foods, Inc.2025A. Ryals McMullian1,041,7305,735,8420733,5247,776,698
5BellRing Brands, Inc.2025Darcy Horn Davenport950,0254,400,00001,055,7156,563,539
6WK Kellogg Co2024Gary Pilnick1,000,0003,322,66801,507,0006,075,975
7B&G Foods, Inc.2025Kenneth Keller1,224,2582,625,8640710,4374,589,619
8J&J Snack Foods Corp.2025Daniel Fachner1,021,9232,059,9740834,3003,978,648
9Central Garden & Pet Company2025Nicholas Lahanas893,3651,000,0220—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

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
WK Kellogg Conot disclosedRSU 50 · PSU 50not disclosedWillis Towers Watson
B&G Foods, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedMeridian 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 20Yes — Relative TSRAon
Central Garden & Pet Companynot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPay Governance
Edgewell Personal Care Company66%not disclosedNoMeridian
Energizer Holdings, Inc.87.67%PSU 70 · RSU 30NoFarient
Flowers Foods, Inc.56.3%PSU 70 · RSU 30Yes — TSR vs. Peer GroupMeridian Compensation Partners, LLC
J&J Snack Foods Corp.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.122%RSU 40 · PSU 30 · Options 30Yes — Relative TSRF.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—
Median employee compensation—
Insider trades since the proxy

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

Sources (42 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”. 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, Flowers Foods, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Flowers Foods, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include WK Kellogg Co. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Energizer Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Energizer Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include WK Kellogg Co. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Edgewell Personal Care Company reciprocity. DEF 14A. Edgewell Personal Care Company's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include WK Kellogg Co. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, BellRing Brands, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. BellRing Brands, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include WK Kellogg Co. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, B&G Foods, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. B&G Foods, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include WK Kellogg Co. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Central Garden & Pet Company reciprocity. DEF 14A. Central Garden & Pet Company's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include WK Kellogg Co. 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 ↗