Infosys CEO Salil Parekh’s salary jumped 22% to Rs 80.6 crore for the fiscal year 2025. This increase puts him ahead of his peers at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro, India’s other IT giants.
The company’s annual report showed the rise mainly came from Parekh exercising more restricted stock units (RSUs) during the year.
Well, Parekh made 752 times the median salary of an Infosys worker, which was Rs 10.72 lakh in FY25.
So while the CEO’s pay package grew by leaps and bounds, many employees face tougher realities. For example, Infosys recently laid off hundreds of trainees from its Mysuru campus. On top of that, some staff members saw their variable pay cut, reflecting the challenging market environment.
Still, Parekh remains upbeat. In his letter to shareholders, he praised Infosys’ leadership in areas like AI, cloud, data, and digital services.
He highlighted the company’s strong execution and growth, with 15,000 new college graduates hired in FY25. By the end of the year, Infosys employed over 3,20,000 people globally.
So, what drives this big CEO pay hike? A good chunk comes from stock incentives. Infosys offers RSUs based on two plans—one tied to time and the other to performance metrics like shareholder returns and operating results. Parekh’s latest Rs 80.6 crore salary includes about Rs 50 crore worth of ESOPs granted in FY25 alone.
To put this in perspective, TCS CEO K Krithivasan earned Rs 26.5 crore in FY25, a modest 4.6% rise. Wipro CEO Srinivas Pallia’s pay increased by 10% to around Rs 53.6 crore, including stock options. Clearly, Infosys has set a new bar with Parekh’s compensation.
But here’s the irony—while the CEO’s salary rockets, many employees feel the pinch of layoffs and pay cuts. It’s like watching a cricket star score a double century while the team’s rookies struggle to hold the fort. Yet, Parekh credits the employees for the company’s success, calling them “the backbone” of Infosys’ sustained value creation.
Also Read 8th Pay Commission Salary Hike Expected Level 1-10 Central Employees Pay Rise
