Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has confirmed the appointment of Sanjay Khanna as its Chairman and Managing Director, effective April 9, 2026. The move follows an official communication from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and has been duly disclosed to stock exchanges in compliance with regulatory norms.
Khanna is not new to the role. Over the past year, he has been steering the organisation as C&MD in additional charge while continuing his responsibilities as Director (Refineries). With the formal appointment now in place, he is expected to lead BPCL through a crucial phase of expansion until his retirement in May 2029, subject to further directives.
With over three decades of hands-on experience in refinery operations, project execution and technical services, Khanna represents a leadership profile deeply rooted in the core of India’s energy infrastructure. A Chemical Engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, and a postgraduate in Finance Management from the University of Mumbai, his career reflects a blend of technical depth and financial acumen.
Before moving to the board, Khanna played a pivotal role in leading BPCL’s Kochi and Mumbai refineries. His tenure was marked by large-scale modernisation initiatives and capacity expansion projects that strengthened operational efficiency. Among his notable achievements is the successful commissioning of BPCL’s first niche petrochemical venture, the Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project (PDPP), delivered during the constraints of the pandemic period.
He assumes leadership at a defining moment for BPCL. The company is preparing for one of the most aggressive investment cycles in its history, with a planned capital outlay of approximately ₹75,000 crore over the next five years. At the centre of this roadmap is the Bina Refinery and Petrochemical Expansion Project in Madhya Pradesh, a ₹50,000 crore initiative that is expected to significantly enhance refining capacity while deepening India’s petrochemical capabilities.
Beyond BPCL, Khanna holds key positions across the energy ecosystem. He serves on the boards of Bharat PetroResources Limited, Petronet LNG Limited and Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited. His role as Chairperson of the Technical Committee for Petroleum Refineries under the Ministry further places him at the intersection of policy, technology and industry standards.
From a risk awareness perspective, Sanjay Khanna’s deep operational grounding across refinery management, large-scale project execution, and petrochemical integration positions him to navigate BPCL’s ambitious capital expansion with a calibrated approach to execution risk, capital discipline and long-term value creation in an increasingly volatile energy landscape.
