New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- The government has appointed Sunil Kumar, an executive director of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), as the state-run energy major's next chairman, making him the first executive in the company's history to be elevated directly from the executive director rank to its top post.
Kumar will succeed Arun Kumar Singh, whose extended tenure ends on December 6, according to the appointment decision.
The appointment follows a multi-stage selection process in which a search-cum-selection committee conducted two rounds of interviews before recommending Kumar. The appointment was subsequently approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The October 21 order said Kumar, who is currently ED of ONGC's Mehsana asset, has been appointed chairman of the company "with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of post on or after December 7, 2026, till his superannuation, ie December 31, 2028 and thereafter on contract basis, for a combined tenure of three years, or until further orders, whichever is earlier."
Kumar's elevation represents a departure from the conventional progression to ONGC's top job, which has generally involved prior service in board-level positions.
His appointment marks the first time an ONGC executive has been elevated directly from the rank of executive director - one level below the board - to the company's top job. Similar appointments have been made at other state-owned energy companies, including Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and GAIL (India) Ltd, but ONGC has not previously followed this route to the chairmanship.
Kumar's appointment puts an operational executive in charge of the country's largest oil and gas producer at a time when the government is seeking to increase domestic hydrocarbon output and reduce dependence on imports.
Kumar, 58, took charge as Executive Director and Asset Manager of ONGC's Mehsana Asset on January 8, 2025. He was subsequently appointed an ONGC nominee director on the board of ONGC TERI Biotech Ltd, effective January 24, 2025.
A petroleum engineering graduate of the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Kumar also holds a postgraduate qualification in business management, specialising in marketing and finance.
He joined ONGC in 1991 as an Assistant Executive Engineer (Production) in the Sivasagar-Nazira region of Assam, according to his LinkedIn profile.
During a career spanning more than three decades, he has worked across production, well services and offshore operations, with assignments in Sivasagar-Nazira, Mumbai, Delhi, Hazira and Kakinada.
His professional experience includes work associated with the Vasistha and S1 deepwater project off India's east coast, subsea development projects and the KG-DWN-98/2 Cluster II project in the Krishna-Godavari basin.
As chairman, Kumar will oversee ONGC's exploration and production portfolio, efforts to improve output from mature fields, capital allocation and technology adoption, as well as the company's expansion into new energy businesses.
Kumar's selection comes after an extensive search that drew senior executives from ONGC and other state-owned energy companies, including the heads of oil and gas producers and directors overseeing exploration, production, technology, finance and operations.
At least 19 candidates had originally applied for the post. Those who applied included Kumar, ONGC Videsh Ltd managing director Rajarshi Gupta, ONGC director for technology and field services Vikram Saxena, ONGC director for exploration O. P. Sinha, ONGC director for finance Anupam Agarwal and director for production Bhaskar Chowdary Nettem.
Other candidates included Dulal Halder, director for operations at ONGC Videsh; Devendra Kumar, Director for Finance at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd; and Oil India Ltd chairman and managing director Ranjit Rath.
After the first round of interviews, the list was pruned to five candidates, and Kumar amongst them was selected to head the company, sources said.
The selection process was overseen by a three-member committee chaired by Public Enterprises Selection Board Chairperson Mallika Srinivasan, with Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal and former Indian Oil chairman B. Ashok as members.
ONGC, a Maharatna public-sector enterprise under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is India's largest producer of crude oil and natural gas. Its performance is central to the government's efforts to strengthen energy security and curb the country's reliance on imported hydrocarbons.
Singh, 64, took charge as ONGC chairman on December 7, 2022, after retiring as chairman and managing director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. The government extended his tenure by one year in December 2025, allowing him to remain in office until December 6, 2026.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.