N Chandrasekaran has stepped down as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, announcing the decision on Wednesday ahead of the company’s annual general meeting. He will not seek re-appointment when his current term concludes in February 2027.
In the financial year 2025-26, Chandrasekaran received total remuneration of Rs 158.6 crore, the highest annual compensation recorded since Tata Sons began disclosing directors’ pay details. The package consisted of Rs 17.9 crore in salary and allowances, with the balance of Rs 140.7 crore paid as commission.
Over the past five financial years, his cumulative earnings from the company stand at approximately Rs 685 crore. The FY26 figure accounted for nearly 80 per cent of the total remuneration distributed to all Tata Sons directors during the year.
His compensation has shown a steady upward trend. He earned Rs 155 crore in FY25 and Rs 134.8 crore in FY24. The latest payout places him among India’s highest-paid corporate executives, though it remained below the Rs 176 crore remuneration received by HCLTech CEO C Vijayakumar in the same period.
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Tata Sons Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director Saurabh Agrawal was the second-highest-paid executive at the firm in FY26, with total remuneration of Rs 34 crore, of which Rs 26 crore came from commissions. Of the remaining directors, none of the other seven received remuneration. Six board members were paid commissions ranging between Rs 1 crore and Rs 3 crore. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor Company, received neither remuneration nor commission.
The disclosure of these figures coincides with Chandrasekaran’s decision not to continue beyond his present term. The board has been asked to determine succession arrangements to facilitate an orderly transition.