Infosys CEO’s Pay Soars to ₹80.62 Cr—752 Times the Median Employee Salary

Infosys CEO Salil Parekh saw his compensation rise 21.7% to ₹806.2 million ($9.44 million) in the last fiscal year, making him one of the highest-paid IT executives in India said a Reuters report. The increase was largely due to stock options exercised during the year, which accounted for ₹495 million of his total pay.

Parekh’s pay is 752 times the median salary of an Infosys employee, reflecting the growing gap between executive and employee compensation in India's IT sector. His earnings are largely driven by stock options, similar to global trends.

Despite this, Infosys reported 4.2% revenue growth in constant currency terms, falling short of its 4.5%-5% forecast, signaling a weaker business environment. The Indian IT sector, valued at $283 billion, continues to face challenges, including U.S. tariff policies affecting market conditions.

For comparison, TCS CEO K Krithivasan earned $3.11 million, while Wipro CEO Srinivas Pallia received $6.28 million in the same period. Infosys remains one of the few top IT firms to retain its CEO over the past 18-24 months, alongside HCLTech.

Here's how Infosys CEO's compensation compares to other top Indian CEOs:

• Ravi Kumar S (Cognizant) – ₹186 crore ($22.2 million), the highest-paid Indian-origin IT executive.
• Vinay Prakash (Adani Enterprises) – ₹89.37 crore ($10.6 million).
• Nithin Kamath (Zerodha) – ₹72 crore ($8.5 million).
• S.N. Subrahmanyan (Larsen & Toubro) – ₹61.27 crore ($7.3 million).
• K Krithivasan (TCS) – ₹26.52 crore ($3.1 million)
• Srinivas Pallia (Wipro) – ₹6.28 million ($6.2 million).

Parekh’s pay is competitive within India’s IT sector but remains modest compared to global tech giants. His compensation structure is largely driven by stock options, similar to international norms.

For comparison:

• Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $63.2 million in 2024, including stock awards.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella received $48.5 million in total compensation.
• Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai earned $226 million in 2023, largely due to stock grants.
• Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S was the highest-paid IT executive among Indian-origin leaders, earning ₹186 crore ($22.2 million) in FY24.