However it acknowledged that “a significant minority” of investors had voted against the “highly competitive remuneration package”.

Mr Bird – who was born in Warrington and began his working life answering phones for British radio DJ Timmy Mallett, before helping launch the career of Chris Evans – will get $9.3m of shares after buying $3.75m of stock with his own money. He will be paid a maximum of $7.7m a year.

A media veteran who ran the international arm of Walt Disney, overseeing its transformation into a “digital-first” brand, Mr Bird has no direct experience in education.

However, he has been on Pearson’s board since May and helped develop Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy. He will try to steer the firm through the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic from his LA base almost 5,500 miles from London.

Pearson has suffered a tumultuous four years as the publishing industry has been battered by