Anthony Petrello and Denny Smith

compensation: Chief Executive Officer Anthony Petrello reported compensation dropped 78 percent to $14.8 million in 2014 from $68.2 million the previous year, when he was given $60 million in cash and stock for signing a new employment agreement, according to the company April 23 proxy statement, according to Bloomberg. Denny Smith, a spokesman for Nabors, didn’t immediately respond to a call and e-mail seeking comment. About 65 percent of voting shareholders supported the 2014 pay plan, according to a filing today from the Hamilton, Bermuda-based oil-drilling contractor. Nabors started restructuring Petrello pay in 2013 by capping his annual bonus and introducing performance-based stock awards. Shareholder approval was at its lowest in 2012, with 25 percent backing 2011 compensation, the data shows. That helped increase shareholder support to 40 percent in 2014 compared with 36 percent when the vote was held in 2013 for the prior year pay, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.