Sunil Kumar named next ONGC Chairman

The government appointed Sunil Kumar, an Executive Director at Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), as the company’s next Chairman on 22 October 2026. Kumar is the Executive Director and Asset Manager of ONGC’s Mehsana Asset. He will succeed Arun Kumar Singh, whose extended tenure ends on 6 December 2026.

Appointment and tenure

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by the Prime Minister, approved Kumar’s appointment after a recommendation from a search-cum-selection committee of the petroleum ministry. Kumar is to assume charge on or after 7 December 2026. His combined tenure is three years, including contractual service after his superannuation on 31 December 2028.

ONGC and the Maharatna classification

ONGC is a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise and India’s largest exploration and production company. Exploration and production, often abbreviated as E&P, covers the search for and extraction of oil and natural gas. ONGC’s operations include offshore and onshore hydrocarbon assets.

Career and petroleum projects

Kumar joined ONGC in 1991 as an Assistant Executive Engineer (Production) in Assam. He became Asset Manager of the Mehsana Asset on 8 January 2025. He was involved in planning and executing the Vasistha & S1 deep-water project on India’s East Coast. He also led planning and execution of a large shallow-water subsea project involving the drilling, completion and production start-up of 11 subsea wells. Kumar is a petroleum engineering graduate of the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, and holds a postgraduate qualification in business management.

Important Facts for Exams

• ONGC is a Central Public Sector Enterprise classified as a Maharatna company.
• Sunil Kumar joined ONGC in 1991 as an Assistant Executive Engineer (Production).
• The Vasistha & S1 project is a deep-water project on India’s East Coast.
• Kumar is the first ONGC executive to move directly from the Executive Director rank to the Chairman’s post.

Kumar was 58 at the time of his appointment. His appointment places an ONGC operational executive in the company’s top leadership position.