India Inc CEO Pay Hits Rs 10.5 Cr in FY26; CFO Salaries Rise Fastest: Deloitte

• Median CEO compensation for non-promoter, professional CEOs in India reached Rs 10.5 crore in FY2025–26, a modest 5% year-on-year increase.
• This 5% growth is the slowest since the Covid period, attributed to weak equity market performance impacting stock-linked payouts.
• CFOs saw the sharpest pay increase among CXOs, driven by high attrition, focus on capital efficiency, and expanded board-level responsibilities, with median compensation at Rs 4.5 crore.
• Nearly one-third of CEO pay is tied to equity incentives, making overall compensation sensitive to market movements.
• Compensation decisions are becoming more measured, with a shift towards performance-linked rewards and multi-year stock grants for senior executives.