Govt appoints Kearney’s Vikas Kaushal appointed HPCL chief

New Delhi: The government has appointed private sector consultant Vikas Kaushal as the chairman and managing director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for a period of 5 years, according to an official order.

Kaushal, 53, previously served as the global leader for energy and process industries at Kearney, a management consultancy. He also served as managing director and country head for Kearney India.

This is the first time that a private sector consultant has been appointed head of a bluechip public sector company.

The appointment comes amidst the government’s struggle to find suitable heads from within the organisations.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for the appointment of Vikas Kaushal, in relaxation of the eligibility criteria, to the post of CMD HPCL,” a government order said.

He has been appointed in the pay scale of Rs 2,00,000-3,70,000 for a period of five years with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier, it added.

Kaushal was picked for the job by a search-cum-selection committee.

This following, government headhunter The Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) failed to find anyone suitable for the job in interviews done in June last year.

HPCL’s top job has been lying vacant since August 31, 2024, when Pushp Kumar Joshi superannuated.

Kaushal has over three decades of experience in energy, oil and gas, and power sectors, mostly giving consultancy to big firms.