Athira Sethu
Kochi , 5 August 2025
HCLTech CEO C Vijayakumar is the second consecutive year’s highest-paid chief executive in India’s IT industry. During the financial year 2025 (FY25), he received $10.85 million, approximately Rs 94.6 crore.
His compensation is more than the CEOs of other large IT firms such as Infosys, Wipro, TCS, and Tech Mahindra.
Vijayakumar’s compensation comprises:
- Base salary
- Performance-based bonus
- Stock awards
Other benefits
In FY24, he received $10.06 million (Rs 84.17 crore), already a huge 190% increase from the previous year.
Now, the board of HCLTech has sanctioned a 71% hike in his salary for the coming year (FY26). His new salary will be $18.6 million, or roughly Rs 154 crore.
Huge Growth Under His Command
HCLTech has witnessed robust growth since Vijayakumar took over as CEO.
In 2016, the market value of the company was Rs 1.15 lakh crore
By 2025, it became Rs 4.32 lakh crore
So, the company has increased nearly 4 times in 9 years. Other large Indian IT companies increased approximately 2.5 times during the same period.
How His Salary Stacks Up Against Others
Other leading IT CEOs earned less in FY25:
- Salil Parekh (Infosys) – Rs 80.62 crore
- Srinivas Pallia (Wipro) – Rs 53.64 crore
- Mohit Joshi (Tech Mahindra) – Rs 52.1 crore
- K Krithivasan (TCS) – Rs 26.5 crore
Vijayakumar’s compensation is obviously much greater than that of his colleagues.
His Background
C Vijayakumar was born in Tamil Nadu and graduated in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from PSG College of Technology.
He joined HCL in 1994 as a senior engineer and was instrumental in beginning HCL’s remote infrastructure management business, which is today a worldwide business.
He has held numerous leadership positions in the company over the years. He became the CEO in October 2016, and in July 2021, he also became the Managing Director.
He was chosen as the Best CEO of the Year in the IT/ITES industry by Business Today magazine in 2020.
