Professional CEO pay in India is soaring as companies face global uncertainty
Indian companies are hiring more professional CEOs—and paying them bigger salaries to help steer through global challenges.
In FY25, 145 pro CEOs at top BSE 200 firms made over $1 million, a nearly 71% jump over the past five years.
Meanwhile, the number of promoter-family CEOs remained largely stable, increasing slightly from 60 to 65 over five years.
Tech industry leads the salary surge (and pay is tied to results)
IT and tech firms are topping the charts for CEO pay. For example, former Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte took home a massive ₹168 crore.
More of these big packages now depend on performance—fixed salary makes up just 31% of total pay, down from 35% a few years ago.
With India's businesses getting more global and private equity investors shaping company rules, leadership styles are clearly evolving fast.