Exclusive: Aakash CEO Deepak Mehrotra gets Rs 5 Cr in annual salary

Deepak Mehrotra, who was appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of Byju's-owned Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) in April, will receive Rs 5 crore in annual salary starting from the current fiscal year (FY25).

As per documents accessed by Entrackr, Mehrotra will get Rs 41.66 lakh as monthly salary which includes HRA, special allowance and provident fund effective from April this year. The filings further added that he will get a maximum of 20% bonus on the annual salary which is subject to achievement of goals or key performance indicators.

The board at Aakash has also allotted employee stock ownership plan (ESOPs) worth Rs 25 crore to Mehrorta which can be vested in four years equally every year starting from April 2025.

Prior to joining AESL, Mehrotra was the Managing Director at Ashirvad Pipes and has more than 35 years of experience in executive roles in FMCG, telecom, and education sectors.

At the time of the appointment, Byju’s said that Mehrotra will be a part of AESL’s strategic vision to improve its offerings, expand its reach, and create a positive impact on the education landscape.

In November 2023, Aakash also raised $168 million from Manipal Education and Medical Group chairman Ranjan Pai to clear the debt raised from Davidson Kempner in May last year.

Byju’s had acquired Aakash for $940 million in April 2021. However, Chaudhry family, the founder of AESL, refused to swap their remaining stake citing governance issues. Three years later, both firms withdrew the merger petition and they are running independently as separate entities under the Think and Learn brand.

Aakash is likely to cross Rs 2,300 crore in operating revenue in FY23 according to its valuation report but it’s yet to file audited financials for the past two fiscal years (FY23 and FY24).

It competes with FIITJEE and Kota-based Allen Career Institute. While FIITJEE slipped into losses with Rs 542 crore revenue in FY23, Allen registered Rs 429 crore profit with Rs 2,277 crore revenue in the said financial year. Both are yet to file their FY24 numbers.