April 4 (Reuters) - BlackRock ( BLK ) CEO Laurence

Fink's total pay for 2023 was $26.9 million, down from $32.7

million a year earlier, according to the company's regulatory

filings on Thursday.

BlackRock ( BLK ), the world's largest asset manager, which managed

$10 trillion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2023 and served clients in

over 100 countries across the globe, was founded by Fink in

1988.

Fink is under scrutiny as London-based activist investor

Bluebell Capital Partners proposed an amendment to the company

bylaws to require the chairman be an independent director.

BlackRock's ( BLK ) board has recommended shareholders to vote

against the proposal.

Bluebell's latest activism comes 15 months after it first

took aim at the New York-based asset manager. The investor

wanted to replace CEO Fink and criticized the company as being

inconsistent in its focus on environmental, social and corporate

governance (ESG) issues.

Over the years, Fink has drawn ire from several policymakers

over BlackRock's ( BLK ) corporate governance practices. The company

said last year it lost around $4 billion in assets under

management as a result of the political backlash.

Fink's compensation package for 2023 included a base salary

of $1.5 million, a bonus of $7.9 million, stock awards of $16.4

million and other compensation of $1.09 million, according to

the company's filings with the SEC.

His reduced pay sharply contrasts that of several Wall

Street chiefs, including top bosses of Goldman Sachs ( GS ),

JPMorgan ( JPM ), Citigroup ( C/PN ) and Morgan Stanley ( MS ),

with all of them receiving raises in 2023.

Bank of America's ( BAC ) CEO Brian Moynihan, however, took

home a reduced pay after the bank's annual profit fell 4%.

BlackRock's ( BLK ) profit was 6% higher and saw assets under

management jump 16% in 2023 from a year earlier.