Cheniere Energy’s CEO is the Big Winner of the LNG Game

April 28 (Bloomberg) — Cheniere Energy Inc., the U.S. natural gas export company that’s never posted an annual profit, more than doubled the compensation of its chief executive officer to $141.9 million last year.

CEO Charif Souki’s 2013 compensation was one of the highest in corporate America, and more than five times that of Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson, who runs the world’s largest publicly traded energy company with a profit of $32.6 billion last year, according to summary compensation tables published in regulatory filings.

Tillerson received total 2013 compensation of $28.1 million, while CEO John Watson of Chevron Corp., the second- largest U.S. energy company, earned $24 million, according to the summary tables. All amounts include stock awards.

Last year, Souki’s total compensation included stock awards valued at $132.9 million, according to a filing today. His 2012 compensation of $57.5 million included $49.2 million in stock awards.

Cheniere, based in Houston, is set to become the first U.S. company to export liquefied natural gas produced from the U.S. shale boom. Shares in the company have doubled over the past year, performing about five times better than the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and closed at $55.55 today.

(c) 2014 Bloomberg.