Woodside Petroleum's boss saw his pay cut in 2016 despite the energy giant posting a surge in profitability, after the company restructured executive pay following a shareholder vote.

Chief executive Peter Coleman's total remuneration of $US6.71 million ($8.76 million) for the year was nearly $US850,000 less than the previous year's $US7.55 million.

His short-term incentives nearly halved to $US1.09 million, while short-term benefits and allowances were also sharply lower at $US25,158, according to the company's annual report released on Wednesday.

The cuts came after Woodside shareholders delivered a so-called "first strike" during the annual general meeting last year, with more than 27 per cent of votes going against senior executives' pay.