Connolly’s compensation was not the highest in the company’s history for a chief executive — retired CEO Gary Rodkin collected $10.7 million in 2013. But it was more than the $9.1 million Rodkin saw in 2014, his last full year with the company, in which he saw his incentive pay plummet in the wake of the soured acquisition of private label foods firm Ralcorp Holdings.

Connolly’s pay compared with the $6.6 million he took home in the three months he led ConAgra in the 2015 fiscal year, when he was paid mostly in stock and stock options upon joining the company. His salary was $250,000 for that partial year.

The changes Connolly put in place at ConAgra also have paid off for shareholders, who saw share prices rise 16.6 percent during the fiscal year that ended May 29. Including dividends, that represents a 19.1 percent return to shareholders, the company said. The broader market was flat during that period.

The boosts to stock and executive pay came despite ConAgra’s falling sales in 2016, which executives have said were expected as they moved to cull slower-selling products and reduce dependence on deep discounts.