Sanjay Kumar to Lead Petronet LNG as MD and CEO in 2027

Sanjay Kumar, Director (Marketing) at GAIL (India) Ltd, has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Petronet LNG Ltd, effective May 13, 2027. Kumar, who is 59 years old, will serve a five-year term. He succeeds the current CEO, whose tenure ends on the same date. Kumar brings over 35 years of experience in the natural gas and LNG value chain, holding a mechanical engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA.

Petronet LNG, India’s largest gas importer, operates the country’s biggest LNG import terminal at Dahej in Gujarat and another terminal at Kochi in Kerala. The company handles around 74% of India’s LNG imports and supplies approximately 34% of the country’s gas needs. Petronet LNG is jointly owned by Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL, ONGC, and BPCL, each holding a 12.5% stake.

Kumar’s appointment comes as India aims to expand its LNG import and regasification infrastructure. Petronet LNG is currently pursuing several projects, including the expansion of its Dahej regasification capacity, a greenfield LNG terminal on the east coast, and a petrochemicals project at Dahej. The Dahej terminal alone has a regasification capacity of 22.5 million tonnes per year, with an additional 5 million tonnes per year at Kochi.