Govt extends Gail CMD BC Tripathi's tenure in the office

The government has extended Gail India Chairman & Managing Director BC Tripathi's tenure by another five years, nine months before he would complete his tenure, oil ministry officials said.

Tripathi is the first chairman of state oil major to get an extension in about a decade. Earlier, Subir Raha, former chairman of ONGC, Prashanto Banerjee of Gail, Sarthak Behuria of IOC and Ashok Sinha of BPCL were denied an extension.

According to a recent government order, Tripathi, 53, will head the state gas utility till July 31, 2019, officials said. CMDs and directors in a state-run company are normally appointed for a five-year term, which can be extended until the incumbent attains the superannuation age of 60 years.

Tripathi had also applied for the posts of ONGC and IOC chairmen but decided not to appear before the selection board after top oil ministry officials advised him to concentrate in the current job, officials said.

Tripathi helped the gas transportation major expand and grow to become a 'maharatna' by aggressively acquiring energy assets abroad, particularly shale gas acreages in the US.

A mechanical engineering graduate, Tripathi was elevated from the position of Gail's Director-Marketing to its CMD in Aug 2009 at the age of 49. He started his career with ONGC and move to Gail after ONGC's pipeline businesses were carved out in a separate company in 1984.