The chief executive of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca could earn up to £18.7 million (€21.9 million) this year after shareholders approved a motion to increase his pay. Of the shareholders who voted on Thursday, around 64% were in favour of the decision, and 36% were against. Pascal Soriot’s base salary sits at around £1.5 million (€1.76), but he is now able to earn annual incentive payments worth up to 850% of this rate if he hits long-term targets. This compares to his previous incentive allowance of 650%. Since Thursday’s vote, Soriot’s annual bonus could also increase to a maximum of 300…