MUMBAI: The Public Enterprise Selection Board on Thursday picked Deepak Gupta as the next Chairman and Managing Director of GAIL (India) Ltd, a Maharatna public sector undertaking and India’s biggest gas utility.
Gupta is currently Director (Projects) at GAIL (India) Ltd.
The government’s head-hunter chose Gupta after interviewing a dozen candidates, nine of whom were from GAIL (India).
Gupta is a mechanical engineer from the erstwhile Delhi College of Engineering (now DTU), with 35 years of multifaceted experience in the oil and gas sector, according to a profile on the Company website.
A certified Project Management Professional from PMI, USA, he is widely respected for his expertise in project management, construction management and business development across diverse domains within the hydrocarbon value chain.
During his tenure at Engineers India Limited (EIL), Gupta played a pivotal role in leading the implementation of the $19 billion, 650 KBPSD Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Nigeria—the world’s largest single-train greenfield refinery and the largest in the African continent. He has also led the delivery of the HMEL Bhatinda Polymer Project—one of India’s largest petrochemical installations—and the first greenfield refinery project in Mongolia, contributing significantly to India’s global energy diplomacy.
His contributions extend to other strategic assets, including the Petrochemical Expansion Project at Pata for GAIL and the PFCC unit under MRPL’s Phase III Expansion in Mangalore.
PESB’s recommendation to make Gupta the next Chairman at GAIL (India) will have to be signed off by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Deepak Gupta is likely to succeed incumbent Sandeep Kumar Gupta, who will step down on February 28, 2026, on reaching superannuation.
