Board of Directors

Shri Manoj Kumar Das, IAS is a Senior IAS Officer of 1990 batch. He has done B.Tech (Computer Science) from IIT- Kharagpur. He has done specialization in Revenue administration, Urban Management & Civic Issues, Law & Order and Disaster Management.

He has very rich and varied experience in different capacities viz. District Development Officer, Junagadh; District Collector, Porbandar, Palanpur & Surat; Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad; Municipal Commissioner, Surat & Vadodara; District (J&K Affairs), Home Ministry, Government of India; Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines Department, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department. He had also served as Joint Managing Director, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited (GSPC). He is Director on the Board of GSPC LNG Limited and on Board of Gujarat State Police Housing Corporation Limited.

Presently, he is Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat.

Mrs. Papia Sengupta is a seasoned banker with more than three decades of experience in all facets of banking which culminated in holding the position of Executive Director in Bank of Baroda after a stint as Chief General Manager in State Bank Group.

A science graduate, she has completed Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program from ICFAI in 2001 and CAIIB from Indian Institute of Banking and Finance in 2008.

The core competencies of Mrs. Papia Sengupta are Corporate & MSME Finance, Stressed Assets Management, Risk Management, Banking, Treasury & Investment, Audit & Inspection, Overseas Banking, Human Resource Management.

She is presently holding Board positions at Indian Bank, Andhra Paper Limited and the Investment Trust of India Limited as an independent Director.

Smt. Papia Sengupta is a Science Graduate, with additional qualification of CFA and CAIIB (Both Parts). She joined State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur(SBBJ) in 1983 as Probationary Officer and has handled responsibilities in several offices of SBBJ, SBI and State Bank of Patiala (SBP). Smt. Papia Sengupta retired as Executive Director, Bank of Baroda on 30.09.2019. Prior to joining Bank of Baroda, she held the position of Chief General Manager (Retail Banking) since April 2016 and Chief General Manager (Stressed Assets Management Group) since June 2015 at State Bank of Patiala (SBP). Smt. Sengupta also served as General Manager of Delhi network at State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ). Presently she is working in India Bank as a Director.

Mr. Biju Gopinath is Director, Pipelines of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. Engineer by profession with a Management degree, he has vast experience of over 34 years in the Marketing division of BPCL

Having started his career in the LPG BU of BPCL, he was associated with the Engineering, procurement and construction of varied oil and gas infrastructure projects in BPCL and was also one of the key members in creation of a Central procurement organization in BPCL.

He has also worked as the BU head of Consumer Retailing, a new business vertical created by BPCL to focus and diversify on non-fuel business opportunities.

Some of his notable projects include the Bina Panki Pipeline which was completed before the scheduled date of completion.

Shri Srinivas Reddy Aleti is a distinguished professional with over 30 years of extensive experience in the petroleum sector, currently serving as the Chief General Manager - Retail, Central Zone for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Bhopal. In this pivotal role, he oversees the retail business operations for the Central Zone.

He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad, followed by Master of Technology in Structural Engineering from NIT-Nagpur. Demonstrating his commitment to holistic professional development, he later obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Financial Management) from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. Further enhancing his leadership capabilities, he completed a Senior Management Development Program from IIM-Indore and a certification course in Project Management from Universitas Global, Singapore. His continuous pursuit of knowledge is also evident through his participation in various managerial certification programs from premier institutions, including IIM-Lucknow, IIM-Indore, and IIM-Ahmedabad. Notably, he was also a part of a leadership development program at HPCL, tutored by eminent professors from prestigious IIMs.

His illustrious career in the petroleum sector spans a wide array of critical areas. His expertise includes the construction of LPG Bottling Plants, Petroleum Storage Terminals, and Aviation Fueling Stations. He played a key role in the laying of a cross-country pipeline from Loni (near Pune) to Solapur in Maharashtra, along with developing allied station facilities. Prior to his current position, he served as the Head of Retail Engineering, where he was responsible for overseeing HPCL's pan-India network of retail outlets. His comprehensive experience and proven leadership have been instrumental in his journey to his current senior management role.

Mr. Prakash Karnik holds degree in Civil Engineering from Sardar Patel University and Master in Business Administration. He has over 27 years of experience in HSE, engineering, procurement, construction, for the development and operations of E&P offshore & onshore infrastructure, Gas based Power Plants, Cross-country pipeline projects and LPG Refilling Plants. He has significant industry experience in terms of Engineering, Project management and Operation & Maintenance of Oil and Gas Exploration sector and hydrocarbon Pipelines. He is associated with GSPC Group of companies since November 1998 and is presently looking after Projects, Operation & Maintenance of GTL Gas grid.

Mr. Shailesh Tiwari is a distinguished Mechanical Engineer from NIT Raipur with an M. Tech from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. He has an impressive track record in Project Management & Construction, Operations, Maintenance of IndianOil's extensive network of Oil and Gas pipelines. As Executive Director (In-charge), Pipelines, Indian Oil since 30th June 2025, he brings forth a wealth of experience, having held leadership roles across Pipelines business of IndianOil. Earlier, he headed two Regions of Pipelines Division – Northern Region Pipelines (NRPL) and Southern Region Pipelines (SRPL) besides holding Senior Management roles in Human Resources function of the corporate level.

As Executive Director, led Southern and Northern Region Pipelines (SRPL & NRPL), driving transformative improvements that elevated both Regions to high-performance status. His leadership set new benchmarks in operational efficiency, safety standards, and project execution within the pipeline industry.

Led large-scale pipeline operations and projects worth over ₹10,000 crore across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Delhi including product pipelines, gas infrastructure, and City Gas Distribution (CGD) in 5 GA’s consisting 11 districts of Tamil Nadu and in 2 GA’s consisting 5 districts in Jammu and 1 district in Punjab. He has also steered skill development initiatives in the energy sector; contributed to the establishment of skill development Institutes under MoP&NG at Bhubaneswar.

Smt. Avantika Singh Aulakh, IAS, is a Senior Officer of the 2003 batch. Prior to her appointment as Managing Director, she was Additional Principal Secretary to Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat. She has done B.E. (Instrumentation & Control Engg.) from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology Delhi and Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Throughout her two-decade long career in Civil Services, she has held various crucial administrative positions in the Government of Gujarat. She has served as District Collector in multiple districts including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bharuch, and Anand. She has been accorded the Best District Collector award for Vadodara district and Bharuch district (2012-13) by the State Government.

She has also served as District Development Officer in Anand, Gandhinagar districts and as Deputy Secretary, Energy and Petrochemicals Dept. and Director of Petroleum in the State Government. She received the National Award for Best Electoral Practices in 2012 and 2017 from the Election Commission of India. As Collector Ahmedabad, she also received the National Level Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme award from Government of India in 2018.

Her diverse experience includes serving as Vice Chairman & CEO of Gujarat Maritime Board, CEO of Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board, MD of Gujarat Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Director of Technical Education, reflecting her versatility in handling both infrastructure development and educational initiatives.

She has enhanced her expertise through numerous specialized training programs in fiscal policy, public-private partnerships and project management. She has held directorial positions on the boards of several prominent companies, including Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited, GSPC LNG Limited and Dholera International Airport Company Limited. Presently, she is also serving as Managing Director of Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited.

Mr. Prasun Kumar Mishra is a mechanical engineer by profession. He has an experience of more than 30 years in Projects, Construction and Operations of cross-country pipelines, CGD within IndianOil. His notable contributions are in development of a green-field crude oil tank farm and brown-field pumping station, Operation and Maintenance of large crude oil tank farm and overall planning & scheduling of IndianOil’s integrated crude oil pipeline system in western India. He has also been closely associated with the central project management functions at IndianOil’s Pipelines Head office wherein he has handled several critical projects of large value.

He is presently heading the entire Gas value chain at IndianOil including CGD Business of IndianOil and provides strategic direction for the growth and integration of gas infrastructure across the country.

In addition to his leadership role in IndianOil, Mr. Mishra serves on the boards of several subsidiary and joint venture companies. He is the Chairman of IndianOil-Adani Gas Pvt. Ltd. (IOAGPL), driving City Gas Distribution (CGD) initiatives in key markets; Director of IndianOil LNG Pvt. Ltd. (IOLPL), which operates a 5 MMTPA LNG regasification terminal; Director of IndOil Montney Ltd. (IML), IndianOil’s, upstream venture in Canada.

A seasoned energy professional, Mr. Mishra is recognized for his strategic insight and leadership in shaping IndianOil’s natural gas business portfolio and strengthening its role in India’s evolving energy transition.

Mrs Vanaja Narayanan Sarna, IRS (Retd), has over 43 years of distinguished service in the Indian Revenue Service. She served as Chairperson of the Central Board of Excise and Customs and the Central Board of Taxes and Customs, contributing significantly to the field of taxation and governance.

Mrs Sarna has held several senior positions, including Under Secretary in the Legislative Department, Ministry of Law, Director and Joint Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, and has served in various key roles in Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax, and GST. Notable positions in her career include Additional Director General of the National Academy of Customs, Excise & Narcotics, Additional Director General in Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Director General Vigilance, and Chief Commissioner of Central Excise and Service Tax.

In addition to her administrative roles, Mrs Sarna served as Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission from 2019 to 2023.

She holds degrees in Psychology, LL.B, a Diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication, and a Masters Diploma in Public Administration.