Gautam Adani, a titan of Asian industry, took home a total salary of Rs 9.26 crore for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. This figure stands modestly against the hefty paychecks of his Indian industry peers and even some of his top executives.
Adani’s earnings pale in comparison to other leaders of large Indian family-owned conglomerates. Mukesh Ambani, India’s wealthiest individual, has forgone his salary since the COVID-19 pandemic began, previously capping it at Rs 15 crore. In contrast, telecom mogul Sunil Bharti Mittal earned Rs 16.7 crore in 2022-23, Rajiv Bajaj made Rs 53.7 crore, and Pawan Munjal commanded an impressive Rs 80 crore, according to a PTI report. Executives like L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan and Infosys CEO Salil S Parekh also draw significantly higher compensations, the report added.
At 61, Adani draws his salary from only two of the ten companies in his sprawling ports-to-energy conglomerate. Specifically, he earned Rs 2.19 crore in salary and Rs 27 lakh in perquisites and other benefits from Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), totalling Rs 2.46 croreâ3% higher than the previous year. Additionally, he received Rs 6.8 crore from Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ).
Despite this relatively modest salary, Adani’s net worth is a staggering $106 billion, positioning him in a fierce battle with Ambani for the title of Asiaâs richest person. Adani briefly held this title in 2022 but faced a significant blow when a report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research slashed $150 billion from his groupâs market value. Although Adani reclaimed the top spot twice this year, Ambani currently leads with a net worth of $111 billion, ranking 12th globally, while Adani is 14th.