Sanjay Kumar Named New CEO of Petronet LNG

GAIL Director of Marketing Sanjay Kumar will take over as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Petronet LNG Ltd on May 13, 2027.

Appointment Details

Petronet's board approved the appointment during a 15-minute meeting on October 2. Kumar will assume the role when current CEO A K Singh's extended tenure ends. The 59-year-old will serve a five-year term.

Background and Experience

Kumar has served as the director for marketing at GAIL since mid-June 2023. He is a mechanical engineer from IIT Kharagpur with an MBA and brings over 35 years of experience in the natural gas and LNG sector. Petronet is India's largest gas importer and is majority owned by state-owned oil firms.

Context

Petronet operates large liquefied natural gas import terminals at Dahej in Gujarat and Kochi in Kerala, supplying a major share of India's gas imports. Such leadership changes in major energy firms are crucial as the country works to expand its natural gas infrastructure and increase the share of cleaner fuels in its energy mix.