WPP chairman hints at climbdown over Sorrell's pay Philip Lader, the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff who has chaired the media conglomerate's board for 11 years, said that while Sir Martin's package was carefully allocated, it is open to further "deliberations." Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph before the company's crunch annual meeting in Dublin on Wednesday, Mr Lader said that the board was "responsible to shareholders" and would "take into account" the views of investors. It is the first time in the month-long row surrounding the WPP chief's pay package that any member of the board has intimated that Sir Martin's compensation could be revisited. It is also the first time that Mr Lader has spoken on the subject. Mr Lader's comments follow robust defences of the remuneration both by Jeffrey Rosen, the chairman of WPP's remuneration committee, and by Sir Martin personally in a comment piece in a national newspaper last week. "The board has the responsibility to exercise the best commercial judgment and we did so with careful extensive deliberation as we have sought to explain to shareholders," Mr Lader said, noting that it had sought to balance the company's financial performance with pay at international rivals. That said, while directors are expected to exercise best judgment, we're also responsible to shareholders. However, he hinted that in spite of the pay vote being advisory, WPP's board would still take it into account. "All I'm saying is that when the polls close, we'll look at the outcome, continue our deliberations and then communicate," he said. It's premature for me or anyone to anticipate what the specific measures might be. Asked whether he thought the debate over Sir Martin's pay was fair on the chief executive, he said: "It's human to be personally disappointed after 30 years" 24/7 commitment to building the industry's top global company. But he and the board will take into account shareholder views and move forward prudently.