Pushp Kumar Joshi is interim HPCL chairman; awaits confirmation as full-time head

New Delhi, May 5: Pushp Kumar Joshi has taken over as the interim chairman and managing director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), the nation’s third-largest oil refining and fuel marketing company said.
Joshi, the senior-most director on the HPCL board, was in January picked by the government headhunter PESB to be the new head of the company. But his appointment is yet to be ratified by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister.
In the interim, Joshi, who currently is director for human resources at HPCL, has been given the additional charge of chairman and managing director.
In a regulatory filing, HPCL said the company’s previous head Mukesh Kumar Surana superannuated from the services on April 30, 2022, and ceased to be a director with effect from May 1.
“We wish to further inform that Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MOP&NG) has conveyed that the Competent Authority has approved the proposal for entrustment of an additional charge of the post of chairman and managing director to Pushp Kumar Joshi, Director-HR, for a period of three months with effect from May 01, 2022, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” it said.
Joshi was picked by PESB to replace Surana after the government headhunter interviewed 10 candidates on January 24.
“PESB recommended the following name for the post of Chairman and Managing Director, HPCL: Pushp Kumar Joshi,” the headhunter had said in a notice in January.
The recommendation was thereafter sent to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which decides on the selection after getting reports from anti-corruption agencies such as the CVC and CBI.
Joshi, 58, has been on the board of HPCL for almost a decade now.
He had missed out on being the head of HPCL on previous two occasions – first in August 2013 when Nishi Vasudeva was picked by PESB and again in October 2015 when Surana was selected.
PESB had stated that it interviewed M Venkatesh, Managing Director of Mangalore Refineries & Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), Joshi and four executive directors of HPCL. It also interviewed U Sarvanan, Chairman and Managing Director of Madras Fertilizer Ltd and three other non-HPCL executives before selecting Joshi for the top job.
Joshi, who has been Director Human Resources of HPCL since August 1, 2012, is a Doctorate in Human Resource Management, Post Graduate in Human Resource Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur and Bachelor of Law from Andhra University.
“As Director of HR, Joshi is presently responsible for overseeing the design and deployment of key Human Resource policies and strategies while leading Human Resources practices that are employee-oriented and aimed at building a high-performance culture. With over three decades of vast experience in Human Resource and Industrial Relations, Joshi has played a pivotal role in leading key transformational and strategic initiatives, across HPCL,” the company says on its website.
He has spearheaded Human Resource practices at HPCL with a strong business focus and contemporary approaches for leadership development, capability building and productivity enhancement by leveraging technology. “He helped in the development and shaping the company’s Culture and Values aligned to the Vision and provided support to the business and finance functions in the critical area of Human Resources.”
If appointed, Joshi will have a tenure till August 31, 2024.
HPCL is a subsidiary of the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). (PTI)