New Delhi: The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has recommended Deepak Gupta, currently Director (Projects) at GAIL (India) Limited, as the next Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company. The decision follows a rigorous selection process involving 12 shortlisted candidates, with Gupta emerging as the preferred choice to head India’s largest natural gas enterprise.
He is expected to take over from Sandeep Kumar Gupta, the present CMD of GAIL, who will retire on February 28, 2026.
An engineer with over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, Deepak Gupta is a Mechanical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering (now DTU) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI, USA. His career spans diverse domains, including project management, construction management, and business development across the hydrocarbon value chain.
During his tenure at Engineers India Limited (EIL), he led several mega infrastructure projects from concept to commissioning under varied models such as EPC (LSTK), EPCM, OBE, and PMC. Among his most notable contributions is his leadership in executing the $19 billion, 650 KBPSD Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Nigeria, the world’s largest single-train greenfield refinery and Africa’s biggest refining project.
He also led the HMEL Bhatinda Polymer Project, one of India’s largest petrochemical installations, and contributed to the first greenfield refinery project in Mongolia, expanding India’s global energy engagement. His work has also encompassed strategic domestic assets such as the Petrochemical Expansion Project at GAIL’s Pata complex and the PFCC Unit under MRPL’s Phase III Expansion in Mangalore.
As Convener of the CHT Committee on Project Execution Best Practices, Deepak Gupta has played a key role in improving execution models across India’s energy sector. A prolific writer and industry voice, he has authored several technical papers on fast-track project execution, critical engineering packages, and the role of digitalisation in project management. His ideas on execution excellence and digital transformation have been widely adopted within the sector.
He is often invited to speak at national and international forums, where his perspectives on project implementation, petrochemical infrastructure, digitalisation, and sustainable growth have received strong appreciation.
Deepak Gupta’s focus areas include innovation in project execution, development of petrochemical infrastructure, digital transformation, system improvement, and long-term strategies for sustainable business growth. His appointment is expected to bring a renewed emphasis on operational excellence, technology integration, and strategic expansion at GAIL (India) Limited, ensuring a smooth leadership transition following Sandeep Kumar Gupta’s superannuation in February 2026.
BI Bureau
