In the corporate ecosystem, the persons, or personality types, are regularly characterized as being the proponents or drivers of success that advance organizations and grow the company to higher altitudes. In India, corporate leaders or CEOs are esteemed, if only because of their salary, not only because of the frameworks they establish.
These salaries are representative of their talents for bringing about changes, for crisis management, and for finally making organizational changes throughout their domains.
These are the 15 Highest Paid CEO’s in India in 2025:
| Rank | CEO | Company | FY25 Remuneration (₹ crore) |
| 1 | N. Chandrasekaran | Tata Sons | 155.81 |
| 2 | Sandeep Kalra | Persistent Systems | 148.09 |
| 3 | Pawan Munjal | Hero MotoCorp | 109.41 |
| 4 | Rajeev Jain | Bajaj Finance | 102.10 |
| 5 | C. Vijayakumar | HCLTech | 94.60 |
| 6 | Murali K. Divi | Divi’s Laboratories | 88.15 |
| 7 | Salil Parekh | Infosys | 80.62 |
| 8 | S. N. Subrahmanyan | Larsen & Toubro (L&T) | 76.25 |
| 9 | Vinay Prakash | Adani Enterprises | 69.34 |
| 10 | Rajiv Bajaj | Bajaj Auto | 58.60 |
| 11 | Mohit Joshi | Tech Mahindra | 53.90 |
| 12 | Srinivas Pallia | Wipro | 53.60 |
| 13 | Nitin Rakesh | Mphasis | 52.70 |
| 14 | K. Krithivasan | TCS | 26.52 |
| 15 | T. V. Narendran | Tata Steel | 17.45 |
1. N. Chandrasekaran – Tata Sons
Source: officechai
N. Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, is a titan of India’s corporate space & milieu and is a top leader. His total compensation reflects his unique position in the Union and touches every dollar received by his total compensation for leading other Tata group companies and allowing for strategic growth in many areas.
Impacts: Tata has grown and extended and established a global footprint under his leadership and commitment to leveraging and increasing innovation and reputation in the larger scope of that footprint across key sectors, including IT and auto manufacturing.
2. Sandeep Kalra – Persistent Systems
Source: persistent
Sandeep Kalra was successful at getting Persistent Systems to a stage where they are a well-established, well-known name in the space and have tremendously grown the business.
Impact: Kalra’s concentration on innovation and solutions for clients has realized strong value as it pertains to Persistent Systems being established as a winning company in the market.
3. Pawan Munjal – Hero MotoCorp
Source: jagranjosh
Pawan Munjal, the Chairman, Managing Director & CEO of Hero MotoCorp, is a renowned leader in India’s automotive sector. His prescribed compensation takes into consideration his role in navigating Hero MotoCorp, India’s largest two-wheeler company, into respect globally and developing sustainable growth domestically and internationally.
Impacts: Under Munjal’s leadership, Hero MotoCorp has solidified its market leadership in motorcycles and scooters, broadened its presence internationally, and invested in the innovation of electric mobility. His strategic practice of developing the company’s research and development and establishing partnerships has molded Hero MotoCorp into one of the leading players in the transition to more sustainable transportation solutions.
4. Rajeev Jain – Bajaj Finance
Source: freepressjournal
Rajeev Jain is a significant player in the NBFC space. He has been leading the lending and financial services in Bajaj Finance and generating growth.
Impact: Innovative product offerings and good risk management practices allowed the company to gain customer confidence and spur Bajaj’s growth.
5. C. Vijayakumar – HCLTech
Source: businessoutreach
C. Vijayakumar has led HCLTech to significant success and it is one of India’s leading IT service companies. High revenue is making strides in global markets.
Impact: HCLTech’s market capitalization spiked after Vijayakumar’s appointment, and it secured one of the positions on the international IT service landscape.
6. Murali K. Divi – Divi’s Laboratories
Source: timesnownews
Murali K. Divi, the Executive Chairman & Managing Director of Divi’s Laboratories, is one of India’s pre-eminent leaders in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. His compensation reflects the value he has provided through the innovation, operational efficiency and strategy for expansion in the domestic and international domains.
Impacts: Under Divi’s leadership, the company has internationalized its operations, expanded its product line, and sustained quality standards. Divi has created a culture of innovation, science and technology, and sustainability in growing the overall business, one of India’s largest exporters of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and custom synthesis services.
7. Salil Parekh – Infosys
Source: business-standard
Salil Parekh has been CEO of Infosys since 2018. He has taken care of the digital transformation of Infosys with delayering the organization, Cloud Computing and next-gen IT products.
Impact: Infosys is still a benchmark in IT Service globally and continues to develop the best available products in the world.
8. S. N. Subrahmanyan – Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
Source: microsoft
S. N. Subrahmanyan is the CEO & Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro. He is an icon in the engineering and infrastructure spaces in India. His total compensation reflects his leadership and the success he has had in leading L&T on its transformation from India’s largest and most diversified corporation with capabilities in engineering, construction, manufacturing, and technology services.
Impacts: Apart from driving an expansion into high-value segments such as renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and digital solutions, Subrahmanyan’s foresight has strengthened project delivery capabilities, developed international collaborations, and positioned L&T as a global engineering benchmark for project delivery.
9. Vinay Prakash – Adani Enterprises
Source: adani
Vinay Prakash serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Adani Enterprises and is known for being a visionary leader within India’s infrastructure and diversified business sector. His level of compensation is commensurate with his responsibility for managing various business verticals and advancing strategic growth in several key sectors energy, logistics, and urban infrastructure.
Impacts: Under Mr. Prakash’s leadership, Adani Enterprises has enhanced operations domestically and globally, implemented contemporary infrastructure solutions and efficiencies in operations, and emphasized sustainability combined with the advanced use of technology and execution of larger scale projects. This has further established Adani’s position as one of the most prominent conglomerates in India.
10. Rajiv Bajaj – Bajaj Auto
Source: adda247
Rajiv Bajaj has been critical in helping Bajaj Auto grow into a substantial player within India’s two-wheeler space.
Impact: Bajaj has gained brand and market share with product execution such as the Pulsar.
11. Mohit Joshi – Tech Mahindra
Source: marketsmojo
Mohit Joshi increased the business growth of Tech Mahindra in the digital transformation, IT Consulting and tech solutions areas.
Impact: His vision firmly positioned Tech Mahindra for growth in what is increasingly a competitive, global marketplace for IT related services and consulting.
12. Srinivas Pallia – Wipro
Source: financialexpress
Srinivas Pallia joined Wipro in 1992 and made his way through the ranks to key positions in consumer business, application services, and Americas operations before becoming CEO & MD in April 2024. During his tenure, he led Wipro to nearly 19% profit growth in FY25 and rebuilt client relationships in the US and Europe.
Impact: Pallia’s extensive experience within Wipro, combined with the focus on global leadership, allows for stability during a time of executive transition, while enabling Wipro to position itself effectively as a strong competitor in IT services globally.
13. Nitin Rakesh – Mphasis
Source: economictimes.indiatimes
Nitin Rakesh launched Mphasis Sparkles, an innovation lab that connects startups with enterprises.
Impact: Rakesh has been able to lead Mphasis strongly within his tenure as CEO, while also able to implement new technology and services for its customers, thus enabling more value delivery for every client.
14. K. Krithivasan – Tata Consultancy Services
Source: economictimes.indiatimes
K. Krithivasan is the Chief Executive Officer of TCS which is a multinational IT services company.
Impact: The revenue and international growth TCS continues to experience are attributable to K. Krithivasan.
15. T.V. Narendran – Tata Steel
Source: manufacturingtodayindia
T.V. Narendran has expanded Tata Steel’s global footprint and capacity.
Impact: Narendran’s vision and leadership are developing solutions that are sustainable, utilizing steel and innovation for sustainability.
Conclusion
The highest compensation for Indian executives is not only salaries; it is transformation, such as changing how businesses operate and how they are expanding industries. There are many variables in respect of this compensation; the attractiveness of fast-growing markets, performance pay arrangements, and global pay scales are attached to their compensation for not only their total contributions back to their employer, employees, and the economy.
While the large compensation may create a little angst and speculation, they are at the same time clear representations of collective employer attributes, their leadership, contributors of economic growth, job creators, role-modeling, and innovation. Many Indian executives are also paying it back to society by exceeding their usual duties through establishing and undertaking corporate social responsibility programs and/or activities. The high dollar value of their work as employees of companies should be recognized and appreciated as an enormous value beyond merely running through to pay them a salary; they are a very expensive reward for all that they have contributed back to India’s growth.
FAQs
Q1: How does the overall CEO compensation in India compare to that of CEOs globally?
Companies establishing CEO levels of remuneration will often benchmark with global companies, in particular, in the finance and IT sectors, to manage to retain and attract talent at that level.
Q2: Can High CEO salaries negatively affect employee morale in a company?
Some employees may view high salaries for his/her CEO as part of the compensation gap; however, most companies will view the total compensation of the CEO and which will be from structured or performance-based executive compensation plans, as well as employee benefits plans to diminish any discontent from low employee morale.
Q3: Is my CEO’s salary subject to taxes in India?
Yes, all marginal income of my CEO’s salary will be taxed as income tax in India, as well as any surcharges and cess that may apply.
Q4: How often is the total compensation reviewed on the CEO’s compensation?
The CEO’s compensation will usually be reviewed at least once a year by the board, based on company performance, market circumstances and any long-term strategic goals.
