Long-term cash incentives and stock unit vesting catapulted the US-based executive to the top of the Indian IT compensation rankings, earning 291 times the company’s median employee salary.
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NOIDA / NEW YORK — HCLTech Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director C Vijayakumar earned a total remuneration of $18.13 million (~₹175 crore) for the financial year 2025–26, according to the IT giant’s latest annual report. This represents a steep 66.9% surge over his previous year’s compensation package, making him the highest-paid chief executive in the Indian IT services industry.
Vijayakumar, who operates out of the United States and receives his salary through step-down subsidiary HCL America Inc., saw the bulk of his pay increase driven by long-term cash incentives (LTI) and the vesting of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). Without these stock and LTI elements, his base compensation growth stood at a more moderate 22.86%.
1. FY26 Compensation Breakdown
The annual report outlines that equity exercises and long-term performance payouts accounted for nearly 74% of the total pay package.
💰 C Vijayakumar FY26 Pay Breakdown ($18.13 Million Total):
📈 Restricted Stock Units (RSUs Exercised) ➔ $9.40 Million (51.8%)
💵 Long-Term Cash Incentive (LTI) ➔ $3.94 Million (21.7%)
💼 Base Salary ➔ $2.48 Million (13.7%)
🎯 Performance-Linked Bonus ➔ $2.00 Million (11.0%)
🛡️ Benefits & Perquisites ➔ $0.31 Million (1.8%)
2. CEO Pay Comparison Across Indian IT Giants
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Vijayakumar’s total earnings significantly outstripped his peers at major Tier-1 Indian IT services firms during FY26.
| Company | Chief Executive Officer | FY26 Total Remuneration | YoY Growth | CEO-to-Median Employee Ratio |
| HCLTech | C Vijayakumar | $18.13M (~₹175 Crore) | +66.9% | 291.9x |
| Infosys | Salil Parekh | ₹82.60 Crore | +2.0% | ~120x–150x |
| Wipro | Srinivas Pallia | $5.29M (~₹49.64 Crore) | N/A | ~90x |
| TCS | K Krithivasan | ₹28.00 Crore | +6.3% | ~50x–60x |
3. Financial Performance & Pay Equity Context
While Vijayakumar’s total remuneration grew by nearly 67%, HCLTech’s median employee remuneration rose by 5.4% across its global workforce of 170,811 direct employees (plus 56,370 subsidiary personnel).
Company Operational Highlights (FY26)
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Revenue: Expanded 11.18% year-on-year to reach ₹1,30,144 crore.
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Net Profit: Moderated by 4.30% year-on-year to ₹16,642 crore (down from ₹17,390 crore in FY25), impacted by macro headwinds and increased talent retention costs.
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