Ved Prakash Mahawar takes over as ONGC director

NEW DELHI: Ved Prakash Mahawar today took over as Director (Onshore) of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).

"As Director (Onshore), a board level position, he will be directly looking after all the onshore operations spread across the country which significantly contribute towards ONGC's overall physical performance," the company said in a statement here.

He replaces Ashok Verma, who superannuated yesterday.

Prior to his elevation, Mahawar headed ONGC's Tripura fields as Executive Director-Asset Manager.

"Under his leadership, Tripura Asset saw increase in gas production by more than two folds. During his tenure ONGC commenced supplying gas for both units of ONGC Tripura Power Company-OTPC. He has also been instrumental in monetisation of two discovered fields, putting them on production," the statement said.

A Mechanical engineering graduate from Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla University, Raipur, Mahawar started career with ONGC as Drilling Engineer in 1982. He is known as the first sub-sea engineer of ONGC.

He also pioneered the critical well control expertise for ONGC.

Separately, ONGC said Sudhir Sharma has taken over as the Director (Exploration) at its overseas arm, ONGC Videsh Ltd.

He was most recently the Country Manager for OVL's Colombia operations for over a year. Earlier, as Head of Business Development in OVL, he managed the global business development activity of the company with the objective to acquire oil and gas assets overseas.

He started his career in 1980 when he joined ONGC's prestigious Institute of Petroleum Exploration in Dehradun as a young Graduate Trainee after obtaining a Masters in Geology from Lucknow University.

He pursued higher studies leading to M.Tech in Petroleum Exploration from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad during 1983-1984.