Former Indian Oil chief Sarthak Behuria joins RIL as an advisor

Former Indian Oil Corporation Chairman, Sarthak Behuria, has joined Reliance Industries as a senior advisor, the Mukesh Ambani-led company said on Wednesday.

Behuria will provide strategic direction and leadership to the new joint venture between RIL and British energy major BP, focused on the fuel-retail business and also work closely with the Reliance Leadership team on various matters of strategic importance, the company said.

Behuria , who was the chairman of IOC between 2005-10, started his career with Burmah Shell in 1973, which was nationalized in 1976 and renamed as Bharat Petroleum Corporation, where he rose to the position of director (marketing) in November, 1998 and as Chairman & Managing Director, in July, 2002.

Post his tenure as the chairman of IOC, he was associated with two private sector organizations as executive director– Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone between April 2016 – 2019 and group president, KK Modi Group of Companies from 2010 to March 2016.

RIL plans to expand its fuel retail business in a JV with BP under the brand ‘Jio-BP’ to a network of 5,500 petrol pumps in the next five years from 1,400 now. In December, the two signed a definitive agreement to form the new Indian fuels and mobility joint venture after an initial agreement in August. The JV, where RIL will hold 51% and BP the balance 49% stake, will take ownership of RIL’s existing Indian fuel retail network and access its aviation fuel business.