I know that the OP wanted to know about execs..still, as an aspiring pilot (though too old to make a career of it), I do recall being seriously underwhelmed on reading the salary of CX's top dog who got fired for the 77W stunt over KPAE on the delivery of their first 77W. It was good (don't recall the nos, but 'think' like USD 250k p.a) but I'd expected more for the guy at the top of the totem pole of flying planes for a large carrier with a good wide body fleet and a diverse talent pool, like CX.

Probably more to do with the profession of flying a plane than CX though. (Awesomest flyby btw! In case you haven't seen, do look it up - pity that 'office politics' seems to pervade all career lines).