The chief executive of Rolls-Royce, Tufan Erginbilgic, is poised for a potential record-breaking payday that could surpass £100 million, driven by a staggering recovery in the engineering group's share price and market value.
From 'Burning Platform' to Billion-Pound Turnaround
When Erginbilgic, nicknamed 'Turbo Tufan', took the helm at the start of 2023, he inherited a company he described as a "burning platform". Rolls-Royce was grappling with £3.25 billion in net debt and deep concerns over its operational performance and long-term strategy. Its shares were languishing below 100p.
His blunt assessment was that the FTSE 100 giant had been "grossly mismanaged", facing what he called the worst financials he had seen in his career back in 2019. He immediately launched an aggressive turnaround plan focused on cost-cutting, which included slashing 2,500 jobs, to woo back confidence from the City.
The Lucrative 'Golden Hello' Share Award
As part of the package to lure him to the company, Erginbilgic was awarded a 'golden hello' of 8.3 million shares. This award vests in two tranches in 2027 and 2028. At the time of the grant, with shares under pressure, the package was valued at just over £8 million.
The dramatic resurgence of Rolls-Royce has transformed the value of this award. With the company's shares now trading at around 1,149p, the original share grant could be worth approximately £106 million if it vests in full. This would place it among the largest potential payouts for an executive at a UK-listed company.
FTSE 100 Giant's Meteoric Recovery
Under Erginbilgic's leadership, Rolls-Royce has executed one of the most remarkable recoveries on the London Stock Exchange. In just two years, the Derby-headquartered group's market value surged, briefly exceeding £100 billion in September 2025 and making it the fifth most valuable company on the LSE.
The company's November 2025 trading update projected a 26 per cent jump in operating profit for the year, expecting it to land between £3.1bn and £3.2bn, up from around £2.2bn in 2024. This strong performance has been powered by its civil aerospace and defence divisions, riding the tailwinds of the global air travel recovery.
Erginbilgic's annual remuneration has fluctuated with one-off awards. He earned £13.6 million in 2023, including compensation from his previous employer, placing him among the FTSE 100's highest-paid bosses. His total pay was £4.1 million last year as some awards lapsed.
