Earning Rs.95 Cr: C Vijaykumar is India's highest-paid IT Bosses

Today marked a historic day with C Vijaykumar, HCLTech CEO, becoming the highest-paid Indian, with a salary rising to 7.9%, 662.5 times what a median employee makes at HCLTech (an IT firm).

Let's take a short preview of what you will find in this post:

• C Vijaykumar is the highest-paid Indian IT CEO Bosses for FY24-25.
• Vijaykumar's salary saw a hike of 7.9%, multiplying by 662.5 times that of a median HCLTech employee.
• HCLTech's total revenue reached a 9.3% CAGR under this 9-year leadership tenure.

Its' been a proud moment for India, HCLtech's C Vijaykumar becoming the highest-paid IT Bosses amongst the IT firms for the financial year 2024-25

Yes, the record shows that his total annual pay stood at Rs . 94.6 crore, receiving a base salary of Rs . 15.8 cr, a performance-linked bonus of Rs.13.9 Cr, restricted stock units (RSUs) worth Rs.56.9crore, along with an additional bonus of Rs.1.7 cr.

In comparison, the average salary of HCLTech employees (excluding top-level managers) was 3.1%.

This may come as a surprise to many but according to the company's annual report, the board of directors approved his pay to $18.6 million that is about Rs.154 Cr in INR, making C Vijaykumar new term CEO and managing director effective from 1 September, 2025 till 31 March, 2030.

On that note, let's learn a few things about who C Vijaykumar is in the next heading.

Who is C Vijaykumar?

Vijayakumar, 57, became the CEO of HCL Technologies in October 2016. In July 2021, he was reappointed for a second term as chairman and took on the managing director role after Shiv Nadar stepped down. Recently, he was granted a five-year extension, with his reappointment running from 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2030, pending shareholder approval.

How Did HCLTech Grow Under C Vijaykumar's Leadership?

Under C. Vijayakumar leadership, HCLTech has seen impressive growth. From FY16 to FY25, the company achieved a total of 9.3% revenue CAGR, the highest earnings when compared to other firms, making it India's highest paid Indian IT CEO, with EBIT and net income CAGRs of 8.1% and 6.9%, respectively. The number of high-value clients also grew significantly, with clients contributing over $100 million, increasing from 8 to 22.

Vijayakumar's client-first strategy and strong market structure were key to this success.

If you compare other top IT CEOs, you can see many of them also earn well:

• TCS CEO K Krithivasan earned Rs 26.5 crore in FY23–24, up 4.6% from the previous year.
• Infosys CEO Salil Parekh saw a 22% salary increase to Rs.80.6 crore.
• Wipro's CEO Srinivas Pallia earned Rs.53.6 crore in his first year.

HCLTech also raised median employee pay by 17.6%. Chairperson Roshni Nadar emphasized the company's focus on adapting to emerging opportunities and changes in the tech landscape.