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Sandeep Kalra of Persistent Systems takes home ₹148 crore in FY25, powered by stock optionsKalra's total remuneration jumped 93% to ₹148 crore in FY25, with 90% of it coming from the fair value of stock options exercised during the year. His pay also includes compensation from the US subsidiary, Persistent Systems Inc.By Yoosef K   July 1, 2025, 12:13:57 AM IST (Published)2 Min ReadSandeep Kalra, Executive Director and CEO of Persistent Systems, who steered the company past the $1 billion revenue mark, took home nearly ₹150 crore in FY25 — the highest among listed Indian IT firms that have released their annual reports so far. His pay was buoyed by a stellar stock rally, with shares soaring 75% in 2024 after a 91% surge in 2023.

Kalra's total remuneration jumped 93% to ₹148 crore in FY25, with 90% of it coming from the fair value of stock options exercised during the year. His pay also includes compensation from the US subsidiary, Persistent Systems Inc. Excluding perquisites and other components, his core remuneration stood at ₹15.62 crore, as shown company’s latest annual report.

In comparison, Infosys CEO Salil Parekh earned ₹80.62 crore in FY25 — a 22% rise from the previous year — while TCS CEO K Krithivasan’s total compensation stood at ₹26.5 crore. Sudhir Singh, CEO of Noida-based Coforge, earned ₹105 crore in FY24, while Wipro’s former CEO Thierry Delaporte took home ₹168 crore, largely due to severance and accelerated stock vesting. Wipro’s current CEO, Srinivas Pallia, earned ₹54 crore. FY25 reports for Coforge and HCLTech are awaited; HCLTech CEO C Vijayakumar earned ₹83 crore in FY24.

Also Read: Persistent Systems Q4 Results: Stock jumps 4% after earnings beat; FY27 guidance maintained

The net profit of Persistent Systems increased 25% to $166 million in FY25 on revenue of $1.4 billion, marking 20 consecutive quarters of growth. Annual revenue grew 19% year-on-year and has compounded at 26% over the past four years. The company’s EBIT margin rose to 14.7% in FY25 from 14.4% a year earlier. It aims to expand margins by 200–300 basis points and reach $2 billion in revenue by FY27.

Persistent Systems, which employs 24,594 people and boasts an industry-leading retention rate of 87.4%, saw its wage bill rise 15.3% to ₹6,874 crore in FY25. The overhead expense accounted for nearly 58% of revenue. According to the company’s annual report, share-based payments jumped to ₹310 crore, up from ₹109 crore last year. CFO Vinit Teredesai noted that a one-time realignment between ESOP costs and salary components offset each other, resulting in no material impact on the profit and loss account.

Also Read: Persistent Systems shares fall after key US client faces major headwindsContinue ReadingCheck out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!TagshcltechInfosysPersistent SystemsTCS