Mr. Saurabh Chandra currently serves as a Public Interest Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited and an Independent Director on the Boards of SBI Pension Funds Pvt Ltd., Vacmet India Limited, and J.K. Cements Limited.
Mr. Chandra did his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1976. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1978 and was allotted the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He retired from the post of Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2015. Prior to that, he was Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
In a public service career spanning 37 years, Mr. Chandra has held several prestigious positions, both in the state of Uttar Pradesh and the Government of India (GOI). The experience gained in policy formulation and implementation is demonstrated by a long record of successful outcomes in multiple areas and diverse sectors like oil and gas, industry, disinvestment, foreign direct investment, intellectual property, district administration, and execution of big projects. Specifically during his tenure as Secretary in the Petroleum and Natural Gas, major sustainable reforms, having far-reaching impact were introduced in the oil and gas sector. Diesel deregulation is one example of a big reform led by him. PAHAL is another example. As the world's largest direct benefit transfer scheme, PAHAL finds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. During his stint as Secretary in DIPP, major reforms were initiated in the FDI policy and intellectual policy regime. Earlier, while working in the Department of Fertilisers, Government of India, he was associated with the setting up of the Oman India Fertiliser Project, one of the most successful overseas joint ventures of Indian enterprises.
Mr. Chandra is the recipient of the prestigious IITK Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2021.
