For years, former Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) CEO Ray Irani was one of the highest-paid CEOs in the United States, garnering approximately $857 million between 2000 and 2010, according to a 2010 analysis by the Wall Street Journal. Irani may have been pushed out as CEO and to the chairman post, but his pay package remained large. The highest-paid director at Occidental was Aziz Syriani, who made $1,052,265 in 2011. He has served on the board longer than Irani, joining in 1983.