Gautam Adani’s FY25 Pay Hits Rs 10.41 Cr, Trails Behind Industry Peers

Gautam Adani, India’s second richest person, received a total remuneration of Rs 10.41 crore in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. This amount is notably lower than that of many of his industry peers as well as some of his own key executives within the Adani Group. Adani’s remuneration increased by 12% from Rs 9.26 crore earned in the previous fiscal year 2023-24.

Adani, aged 62, drew salaries from only two of the nine publicly listed companies under his expansive ports-to-energy conglomerate, according to the latest annual reports of these entities. His pay package from the flagship company, Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), included a salary of Rs 2.26 crore and an additional Rs 28 lakh in perquisites, allowances, and other benefits, bringing the total earnings from AEL to Rs 2.54 crore—slightly higher than Rs 2.46 crore earned in the previous year. From Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), Adani earned Rs 7.87 crore, consisting of Rs 1.8 crore as salary and Rs 6.07 crore as commission. This was an increase from the Rs 6.8 crore he received from APSEZ in 2023-24.

Despite being one of the richest industrialists, Adani’s salary is comparatively lower than the heads of most large family-owned business conglomerates in India. For instance, Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person, has not drawn any salary since the COVID-19 pandemic began; before that, Ambani capped his remuneration at Rs 15 crore. In contrast, Adani’s pay is much lower than several other top Indian corporate leaders, including telecom magnate Sunil Bharti Mittal (Rs 32.27 crore in 2023-24), Rajiv Bajaj (Rs 53.75 crore in FY24), Pawan Munjal (Rs 109 crore in FY24), L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan (Rs 76.25 crore in FY25), and Infosys CEO Salil S Parekh (Rs 80.62 crore in FY25). Annual reports for Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, Munjal’s Hero Motocorp, and Bajaj Auto are yet to be released.

Similar to other promoters, Adani also earns dividends from the profits of his group companies. However, his salary is lower than that of at least a couple of chief executives within his own group. For example, AEL’s CEO Vinay Prakash earned Rs 69.34 crore, which included Rs 4 crore as salary and Rs 65.34 crore in perquisites, allowances, and variable incentives for outstanding operational and financial performance in mining and integrated resource management businesses. Renewable energy company Adani Green Energy Ltd’s Managing Director Vneet S. Jain earned Rs 11.23 crore, while the Group CFO Jugeshinder Singh earned Rs 10.4 crore in FY25.

Adani’s son, Karan Adani, received Rs 7.09 crore from APSEZ, whereas the company’s CEO Ashwani Gupta earned Rs 10.34 crore. Both Karan and Gupta will receive variable pay for FY25 in the next fiscal year. Gautam Adani’s younger brother Rajesh earned Rs 9.87 crore from AEL, while nephews Pranav and Sagar earned Rs 7.45 crore and Rs 7.50 crore, respectively, from different group companies. Adani Total Gas CEO Suresh P. Manglani received Rs 8.21 crore, and Adani Energy Solutions CEO drew Rs 14 crore as salary. Adani Power CEO SB Khayalia’s salary was Rs 9.16 crore in FY25.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Gautam Adani’s net worth stands at USD 82.5 billion. He has been in competition with Mukesh Ambani for the title of Asia’s richest person. Adani first became Asia’s richest in 2022 but lost the position following a damaging report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research, which wiped out about USD 150 billion in market value from his group’s stocks during their lowest point in 2023. He regained the top spot twice last year but ultimately ceded it again to Ambani. Mukesh Ambani currently ranks 17th on the world’s richest list with a net worth of USD 104 billion, while Adani is ranked 20th.