Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran among India's highest-paid executives with Rs 158.66 crore FY26 pay

Tata Sons Executive Chairman N Chandrasekaran received total remuneration of Rs 158.66 crore in FY26, marking a marginal increase from Rs 155.81 crore in the previous financial year and reinforcing his position among India's highest-paid corporate executives, according to the company's latest annual report.

The FY26 payout is the highest remuneration Chandrasekaran has received since Tata Sons began disclosing executive compensation in FY22. Over the last five financial years, his cumulative earnings from the company have reached Rs 671.4 crore.

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His remuneration for FY26 comprised Rs 17.97 crore in salary and other benefits, up 18% from Rs 15.12 crore in FY25, along with a profit-linked commission of Rs 140.69 crore, unchanged from the previous year.

Commission remains the biggest component of pay

While Chandrasekaran's fixed salary has steadily increased over the past five years, commissions continue to account for the largest share of his earnings, reflecting Tata Sons' profitability.

His commission rose from Rs 94 crore in FY22 to Rs 100 crore in FY23, Rs 121.5 crore in FY24, before increasing to Rs 140.69 crore in FY25, where it remained in FY26.

Salary and other benefits have also risen consistently over the period, climbing from Rs 14.61 crore in FY22 to Rs 13 crore in FY23, Rs 13.82 crore in FY24, Rs 15.12 crore in FY25, and Rs 17.97 crore in FY26.

The latest remuneration places Chandrasekaran among the country's best-paid corporate leaders. For comparison, HCLTech Chief Executive C Vijayakumar received Rs 176 crore in FY26, while Persistent Systems CEO Sandeep Kalra earned Rs 148 crore in FY25. Hero MotoCorp Executive Chairman Pawan Munjal received Rs 122 crore in FY26, the highest remuneration among executives at Indian automobile companies.

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AGM due next month; Tata Group posts strong FY26 performance

Chandrasekaran is scheduled to retire by rotation at Tata Sons' annual general meeting on August 18 and will seek shareholders' approval to continue as a director. His current five-year term as Chairman runs until February 2027.

The annual report also showed that Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director Saurabh Agrawal was the company's second-highest-paid executive in FY26, receiving Rs 33.69 crore, including Rs 26 crore in commission.

The remaining seven directors did not receive remuneration apart from sitting fees. Director Venu Srinivasan continued his practice of foregoing commission from the company.

At the group level, Tata Group reported a 7.8% increase in revenue to Rs 16,24,030 crore in FY26, while net profit jumped 51.9% to Rs 1,70,525 crore. According to Chandrasekaran's message in the annual report, the group's revenue is now 2.1 times its FY20 level, while profits have grown to 5.4 times those recorded in FY20.

Separately, Tata Sons posted a 22% rise in profit to Rs 32,000 crore and a 9% increase in revenue to Rs 42,000 crore during FY26.

Its board has also recommended a dividend of Rs 1,10,717 per share, up from Rs 64,900 a year earlier. If approved by shareholders, the payout would result in a cash outflow of Rs 4,474.58 crore, compared with Rs 2,622.91 crore in the previous year.