Meet Rakesh Kumar: Indian Oil Executive Recommended for CPCL COO

Rakesh Kumar, an executive at Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), has received a board-level recommendation. He was recommended by the Selection Board for Public Enterprises as the Chief Operating Officer of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited.

Rakesh Kumar is currently working as General Manager, Technical Services at Indian Oil Corporation Limited. His professional background includes oil refining, technical operations and management of downstream petroleum activities.

The recommendation could bring a major step forward in his career. However, his appointment still needs final approval from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Read also | Dividend income in jeopardy? 8 stocks with inconsistent dividend payouts

The selection committee’s recommendations will now go to the Cabinet Appointments Committee. That committee must give final approval before Kumar takes charge.

Once approved, he will become the Chief Operating Officer of CPCL. For now, his selection remains a recommendation pending that decision.

A career in a refinery

Rakesh Kumar is a professional in the oil sector with experience in the industry. His work has focused on refinery operations, engineering and technical process improvement.

These areas form part of his profile. His experience includes working with Indian government power companies.

He holds a position in Technical Services at IOCL. CPCL’s proposed role would take him into the management of the company at the board level.

Selected from 9 candidates

The selection followed an interview with a selection committee for public enterprises. Kumar was selected from nine candidates representing major public sector oil and gas companies, according to PSU Connect.

The panel also interviewed executives from IOCL, CPCL and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. Their roles spanned operations, manufacturing, human resources, planning and other business functions.

Read also | Indian Oil has signed a five-year agreement to supply petroleum products to Mauritius

Among the nominees for IOCL was Kondapalli Siva Rama Rao, Senior Managing Director and Managing Director of IOLPL. M Sankar, Chief Director General of the Chairman’s Secretariat also addressed the panel.

Muralidhar S represented IOCL as Senior General Manager LPG in Karnataka State Office. Om Prasad Chetry, General Manager in charge of Human Resources, was another nominee for IOCL.

CPCL nominees included Purushotham, Senior General Manager, Corporate Planning and Business Development. Thullibilli Kishor Babu, Chief Operations Officer, was also interviewed.

Read also | Indian Oil has signed a five-year agreement to supply petroleum products to Mauritius

ONGC’s nominees included Bhishmadev Mandal, senior general manager of manufacturing. Om Prakash, CEO overseeing operations and maintenance contracts, also appeared in the interview.

The Chief Operating Officer is a Schedule ‘A’ board level post of CPCL. The director oversees the operation of the refinery and related functions of the company.

CPCL is a subsidiary of IOCL and an oil refining company in South India. The position falls under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.