Sir Martin Sorrell will be getting richer

But the vote was a close thing, with only 54% of shareholders voting for the three-year package of cash and stocks, worth an estimated �65m ($107m).

The level of remuneration paid to the city's top bosses have hit the headlines in recent weeks and prompted a rash of protests.

The chief executive of drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline is amongst those whose pay deal has recently been rejected at his firm's Annual General Meeting.

'Steamroller job'

Sir Martin, however, has argued that his is a special case since he invested millions of pounds of his own money in the company when it was in trouble.

He also built the business up himself from a wire and plastic products firm into the world's third-largest advertising and communications company.

The National Association of Pensions Fund recommended shareholders to abstain, saying that a three-year contract was highly unusual and "against best practice".

Some individual shareholders were also angered that they were not given more opportunity to express dissent at Monday's meeting.

"I really think it was a steamroller job," said Terry Cartwright, referring to the lack of time offered to ask questions.

Sir Martin's pay package will be examined by the board's compensation committee in August.