Ah sounds like Liquor
, Seagram would be my guess. I'm not sure how your Industry works, in the technology consulting industry even though we set a budget for the roles the candidate and niche nature of the skills/experience often lead to a demand for higher pay which goes for specific approvals, new recruits often or always get higher pay unless the candidate is dumb who most companies won't take.
Changing companies almost always leads to higher comps. It does hurt someone's chances in the long run though. A general rule of thumb for anyone > 10 years of exp is to see the next role as a $1-2 mil net output in 3-4 years. Job hopping puts more cash in hand, but keeps the pay linear for a very long time with the risk that it will plateau prematurely.
The way I personally structure my own comp is:
1. base salary
2. bonus structures
3. signing bonus
4. accelerators/kickers - anything not covered by bonus structures
5. stock options and RSUs
6. time-based-comp increases
7. exit/severance packages
8. milestone payments - for milestones like IPO or new LoB reaching a certain high
9. funding participation - doesn't apply well to F500, but with Series B/Series B+ high growth companies where I'll be allowed to participate in funding
The idea here is to never lose by picking a job and always walk out a winner. For example, did #9 six years ago with my CEO and we got acquired by Amazon - best investment ever!