A month after Arun Kumar Singh was hired as the chairman of India’s largest oil and gas producer, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), he has now also been appointed the CEO of the company, according to a stock exchange filing by ONGC.

While ONGC has been traditionally headed by a chairman and managing director, the company did not have a full-time head after Shashi Shanker superannuated on March 31, 2021.

Arun Kumar Singh was appointed as the chairman of ONGC by the government on December 7, but not as its managing director.

"In continuation of our communication dated December 7, 2022, regarding the appointment of Arun Kumar Singh as chairman of the company. It is informed that the Board at its meeting held on January 24, 2023, has appointed Singh as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Accordingly, Singh is designated as Chairman and CEO of the company," ONGC said in a stock exchange filing.

Singh has been appointed for three-year tenure with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post, according to a DoPT order. He took charge on December 7, 2022.

He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Patna, Bihar. Singh was also the Director (Marketing) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) from October 2018 to September 2021, after which he was elevated to chairman and managing director of the company.

Arun Kumar Singh also held the position of President (Africa & Australasia) in Bharat PetroResources Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BPCL, engaged in the exploration of oil and gas, largely overseas, according to information available on the BPCL website.