By Rishi Ranjan Kala

Copyright thehindubusinessline

The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) has invited applications for the post of the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) after the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) failed to identify a suitable candidate earlier this year.

The Oil Ministry, which floated the proposal on Wednesday, has invited applications from officials in public sector undertakings (PSUs) as well as the private sector. The last day for filing the application is October 21, 2025.

“Chairman & Managing Director is the Chief Executive of the Corporation and accountable to its Board of Directors and Government. He/ She is responsible for the efficient functioning of the Corporation, and for achieving its corporate objectives and performance parameters,” the Ministry’s application said.

The applicant, whether working with a PSU or a private company, must, on the date of application, as well as on the date of interview, be employed in a regular capacity and not in a contractual or an ad-hoc capacity, it added.

Suitable Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) employees, including a full time functional Director in the Board of a CPSE, with turnover of at least ₹10,000 crore can apply for the top job at India’s second largest oil marketing company (OMC). Employees from the State government-run PSUs can also apply.

“Private Sector in companies where the annual turnover is ₹10,000 crore or more. Preference would be given to candidates from listed Companies,” it said detailing eligibility for private sector employees.

The applicant should be an Engineering Graduate/ Chartered Accountant Cost Accountant/ Post Graduate/ Graduate with MBA/ PGDIM from a leading institute. Besides, applicants should possess cumulative experience/ exposure for at least five years during the last 10 years in Business Leadership/ Finance/ Marketing/ Operations/ Project Production Management Strategic Consulting in a large organisation of repute.

While, CPSU applicants must have two years of residual service left for applying for the CMDs post at BPCL, private sector candidates must have three years before they reach the superannuation age of 60 years.

The government’s move to find a suitable candidate for BPCL has been languishing since June last year.

In February 2025, the government headhunter PESB failed to recommend a candidate for the post of BPCL CMD out of the 12 applicants who applied for the top job. These included BPCL Director (Finance) V Ramkrishna Gupta, BPCL Director (Refineries) Sanjay Khanna, who currently holds the additional charge of CMD.

“The Board did not recommend any candidate for the post and advised the Administrative Ministry/Department to choose an appropriate course of further action for selection including the Search cum Selection Committee (SCSC) or as deemed appropriate with the approval of the competent authority,” the PESB said.

In March this year, the Oil Ministry appointed Ex Kearney India Head Vikas Kaushal as the CMD Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL).

Published on October 2, 2025