DR AJF O'Reilly received total remuneration of $63 million (£39 million) from Heinz in 1995/6, according to the company's proxy document. His record payment was $75 million in 1991/2 which was the highest in the US at that time.

While he received the $63 million payment last year, most of it, like in 1991/2, was in respect of entitlements which had accumulated over a number of years. The bulk of the payment, $61.5 million, arose from the exercise of options. Other payments consisted of incentive bonuses - short to long term.

His basic salary was $741,500. This was up on the $647,000 paid in the previous year.

Dr O'Reilly owns 1.6 per cent of Heinz, represented by 6 million shares. They have a stock market value of around $200 million.