THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, OCTOBER 3, 2026
GAIL (India) Ltd’s
Director (Marketing) Sanjay Kumar has been appointed the next Managing Director
and Chief Executive Officer of Petronet LNG Ltd, with his five-year tenure set
to begin on May 13, 2027.
The appointment was
approved by Petronet LNG’s board at a brief meeting on October 2, according to
a regulatory filing. Kumar will succeed incumbent CEO A.K. Singh, whose
extended tenure ends on May 13, 2027.
Kumar, 59, currently
oversees marketing at state-owned gas utility GAIL and is set to lead Petronet
LNG at a time when the company remains a key player in India’s rapidly
expanding natural gas market.
Petronet LNG is the
country’s largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and operates major
LNG receiving and regasification infrastructure. The company is majority-owned
by state-run oil and gas companies.
The appointment also
comes against the backdrop of Petronet LNG’s distinctive corporate structure.
Although the company is majority owned by public sector oil companies and its
board is headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas,
Petronet LNG is incorporated as a private limited company.
This structure also has a bearing on the tenure of its senior executives. While the normal superannuation age in public sector companies is 60, Petronet LNG’s status as a private limited company allows its chief executive to serve beyond the conventional retirement age applicable to executives of public sector enterprises.
Kumar’s appointment will therefore see him assume the top position at Petronet LNG for a five-year term beginning May 13, 2027.
