Business

Bumper pay packet for TalkTalk boss despite cyber attack

TalkTalk boss Dido Harding
TalkTalk boss Dido Harding TalkTalk boss Dido Harding

DIDO Harding, the boss of TalkTalk, took home a £2.8 million pay packet last year - despite the firm falling victim to a cyber attack that affected thousands of customers.

The pay award consisted of a £550,000 base salary and the remainder was awarded as benefits and shares linked to a long term incentive plan, according to the company's annual report.

The total pay package is a £1.8 million increase on last year, when Ms Harding was paid £1.05 million.

However, Ms Harding said she would donate a £220,000 cash bonus to charity, Ambitious About Autism, following the hack.

In October, about 157,000 TalkTalk customers were affected after hackers raided personal data files. The cyber attack saw customers leave and cost TalkTalk £60 million.

But the telecoms and broadband operator claimed today that it has "recovered strongly since the cyber attack".

"The cyber attack in Q3 highlighted the need to put our existing customers first and to accelerate the development of even more secure, simplified and resilient processes," Ms Harding said.

It also had an impact on TalkTalk's bottom line, with annual profits more than halving to £14 million in May, compared with £32 million a year earlier.