Past Presidents

Late Mr. Subir Raha

President 2003-2006

Chairman & Managing Director, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd

Subir Raha, former CMD ONGC and former Chairman ONGC Group of Companies left for heavenly abode on 01 February, 2010.

Subir Raha, born on August 28, 1948, graduated in Electronics & Tele-communication Engineering from Jadavpur University in 1969. He was also an alumnus of the Administrative Staff College at Henley of Leeds University, UK.

He joined Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd as Chairman & Managing Director in May 2001; and separated on completion of 5 years tenure in May 2006.

ONGC achieved multiple milestones during his tenure. ONGC’s market capitalization zoomed to become the highest among all Indian Corporate. He was personally instrumental in ONGC acquiring MRPL and turning it around from almost BIFR status to the present Mini-Ratna status. He also led ONGC into aggressive exploration, especially in the deep waters of India, and initiated IOR/ EOR projects to arrest the production decline of its mature fields.

He also led ONGC from a sectoral E&P company to become an Integrated Energy Major on global scale; acquiring many equity assets overseas. He also initiated the expansion of ONGC into various value integration projects in the field of Petrochemicals, SEZ, Power, clean coal energy, and alternate sources of energy.

Under his dynamic leadership, ONGC was the first Indian Corporate to sign the Integrity Pact with Transparency International (India) Ltd in April 2006. To further improve transparency in business transactions in ONGC, he introduced IT along the entire supply chain management of ONGC. Introduction of regular meeting with Vendors, Analysts, Investors even Employees were also unique initiatives of Mr. Raha. He branded ONGC from a Govt undertaking to a global oil and gas major through series of media interactions and branding activities.

He started his career with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, as a Management Trainee in 1970.  After a series of field and staff assignments in various disciplines, he joined the Indian Oil Board as Director (Human Resources) in June 1998.

Before joining the IndianOil Board, he also served on deputation (1996-98) with the Government of India as the Head of the Oil Coordination Committee, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

Subir Raha is survived by his wife Mita, daughter Shuva and son Abhijit.

Mr. R.S.Sharma

President 2006-2011

Associate Member, Indian Institute of Bankers

Mr. R. S. Sharma was on the Board of ONGC as the CMD from May 24, 2006, to January 31, 2011. Mr. Sharma has been credited to have brought in numerous business improvements in ONGC; leveraging strengths to build up its fortunes over the last few years. In these five years, he played an important role in providing value dimensions to ONGC’s business, which grew from less than 6 billion US dollars to around 20 billion US dollars. He was also on the Board of ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL), India’s biggest multinational, before taking over as Director (F) on the Board of Parent ONGC. Sharma played a pivotal role in the financial engineering of ONGC’s other subsidiary MRPL also, which was sick when ONGC acquired it. `In 2006-07, the ONGC board cleared investment proposals worth over Rs. 34,000 crores. Mr. R S Sharma is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Cost & Works Accountants of India and an Associate Member of the Indian Institute of Bankers. His run-up to this career peak commenced 35 years ago in 1972 with the Union Bank of India. After serving there in Credit Appraisal and related spheres for a decade, the banker relocated to Baghdad, to head the Finance function of another public enterprise The Indian Road Construction Company. The next six years in the construction company (four years in the Middle East) saw him pilot many important projects single-handedly before he joined ONGC in July 1988 as Joint Director (Finance), posted at Assam. Under his stewardship, ONGC was assigned Baa1 Credit Rating, the highest-ever Credit Rating assigned by Moody’s to any Indian Corporate. Several awards have come his way, in recognition to his individual contributions like the CNBC TV-18 CFO Award 2006 for excellence in Oil and Allied services category, India’s most recognized award for excellence in the financial field. He was also conferred with India CFO Award 2005, Excellence in Finance in PSU in December 2005, by International Market Assessment (IMA), in association with BNP Paribas, Sun Micro Systems, and CNBC TV-18.

Mr. Sudhir Vasudeva

President, October 2011- May 2014

Global Compact Network India and CMD, ONGC

Mr. Sudhir Vasudeva, former President, Global Compact Network India, served as the Chairman, Managing Director at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited until February 28, 2014, and also served as Head of its Offshore Oil & Gas Fields.

Mr. Vasudeva, a Gold Medalist Chemical Engineer from National Institute of Technology, Raipur joined ONGC in 1976. He climbed the corporate ladder steadily and joined ONGC Board as Director (Offshore) in February, 2009 and finally took over as CMD in October, 2011. Credited with many path-breaking initiatives in complex offshore project management, he has been conferred with the coveted CEPM-PMA Fellowship on Project Management in December, 2011.

With immense experience on the larger canvas of oil and gas industry, Mr. Vasudeva was quite clear on his priority: pursuing energy security for the nation by accreting and acquiring new hydrocarbon reserves, improving production from brown fields and augmenting production through fast track development of newly discovered fields.

 Mr. Vasudeva also served as Chairman of Petrotech Society, Chairperson of SPE Indian Council as well as a Director At-large in SPE International Board of Directors, the first by any Indian. A passionate technical man Mr. Vasudeva was also associated with many other professional bodies.

 A strong proponent of pursuing alternate and renewable sources of energy, Mr. Vasudeva Chaired the ONGC Energy Centre Trust. A firm believer in transparency and ethical business practices, Mr. Vasudeva embraced the Ten Principles of United Nations Global Compact since the beginning of this initiative in India.

Mr. Arun Kumar Singh

President 2023-2025

Chairman & CEO, ONGC Group

Mr. Arun Kumar Singh has assumed the charge of Chairman, ONGC on 7 December 2022. Mr. Singh is also the Chairman, ONGC Group Companies viz: ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPaL), ONGC Tripura Power Corporation Limited (OTPC), Mangalore SEZ Limited (MSEZ), Petronet MHB Limited (PMHBL) and ONGC Energy Centre Trust (OECT). The ONGC Group is having dominance in the E&P sector in India and abroad and is having significant presence in the refining, petrochemicals, power and renewables. He is also on the Board of Petronet LNG Ltd. (PLL).

Mr. Singh is an industry stalwart bringing with him extraordinary rich portfolio of diverse roles in the Oil & Gas industry, spanning close to four decades. He is a Mechanical Engineer with 1st rank from National Institute of Technology, Patna.

Prior to joining ONGC, Mr. Arun Kumar Singh was the Chairman & MD of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ Public Sector Enterprise and a Fortune Global 500 Company. While with Bharat Petro Resources Ltd (BPRL), a wholly owned Subsidiary of BPCL, engaged in the exploration and production of Oil & Gas, largely overseas, he held the position of the President (Africa & Australia). Mr. Singh was also the Chairman of Indraprastha Gas Ltd. (IGL) a Joint Venture (JV) City Gas Distribution (CGD) Company, listed on Indian bourses.

Mr. Arun Kumar Singh is the President of Global Compact Network India (GCNI), the Indian Local Network of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) which provides a robust platform for Indian businesses, Academic Institutions and Civil Society organizations for embracing Universal Ten Principles of Global Compact Network and facilitates in taking forward the UN Agenda on sustainability through balancing the three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e. economic, social and environmental.



Governing Council





Country Office

Dr. Somnath

Deputy Director - HR, Finance and Programmes

Dr. Somnath Singh is a seasoned development, sustainability, and governance leader with over 25 years of distinguished experience across ESG, climate action, business integrity, public health, CSR governance, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. At UN Global Compact Network India, he currently heads Human Resources, Finance, Governance, and strategic programme portfolios, including Climate, Sustainability, ESG, and Business Integrity.

He leads high-impact national initiatives aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, working closely with corporates, government institutions, UN agencies, academia, and civil society organizations. His expertise spans ESG strategy and reporting, climate resilience, ethical governance, responsible business practices, PRME, and sustainability leadership platforms.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Singh has successfully conceptualized and led several national and international projects, summits, leadership dialogues, capacity-building programmes, and policy engagements on climate action, sustainability, business integrity, healthcare governance, and responsible management education.

He holds a PhD in Management, along with postgraduate qualifications in business administration (HR), rural development, sociology, and social work, bringing a rare blend of strategic leadership, policy insight, and programme execution excellence.

Email idsomnath.singh@globalcompact.in

Yogita Singh

Programme Officer

Yogita Singh is a dedicated professional with nearly three years of experience in research, project management, and communication. She currently serves as a Programme Officer at UN GCNI. Previously, Yogita led the Bharat Pravah project at the Institute for Governance, Policies, and Politics (IGPP), a prestigious program supported by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. Her work involved in-depth secondary research, project design and execution, and key-client communication. She has also contributed to field-level projects in Odisha under CFD, focusing on socio-economic development and community engagement. At HelpAge India, she worked as a Data Consultant on a cross-national study analyzing access to urban services for the elderly, demonstrating her ability to handle sensitive fieldwork and collaborate on global research initiatives.

Complementing her professional endeavors, Yogita has volunteered with organizations like Underprivileged Advancement by Youth (UPAY) India and Spero Foundation, gaining valuable experience in event logistics and administrative management. With a strong academic foundation in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics and Maitreyi College, her research spans diverse topics such as women’s health, consumer behavior, and social equity. Skilled in project management, primary and secondary research, and documentation, Yogita combines her academic insights and field expertise to drive meaningful social impact.

Email idarunima@globalcompact.in

Arnab Kanti Chakraborty

Programme Officer -C

Arnab Kanti Chakraborty is a dynamic sustainability and policy professional with multidisciplinary experience across corporate social responsibility (CSR), ESG strategy, project design, and multi-stakeholder engagement. Currently associated with the United Nations Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI), he works at the intersection of corporate sustainability, policy advocacy, and SDG-driven implementation, supporting organizations in advancing responsible business practices and systemic impact.

A trained Sustainable Development Practitioner, Arnab has contributed to a wide range of development initiatives spanning public health, gender equity, water access, and livelihood enhancement across both urban and rural India. His work reflects a strong commitment to translating global sustainability frameworks into actionable, community-level impact through capacity building, cross-sector partnerships, and convergence models aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Arnab holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development Practice from the TERI School of Advanced Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Cotton University. He has worked closely with state governments in Odisha and Assam, contributing to initiatives on clean water access, youth empowerment, and gender-inclusive planning.

Beyond his core professional work, Arnab is the Founding Editor of Dakuwal Magazine—an Asia and India Book of Records-recognized publication platform that amplifies grassroots voices, culture, and social narratives. He has authored and contributed to multiple publications at the intersection of public health, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development, reflecting his forward-looking approach to integrating technology with social impact.

Email idarnab.chakraborty@globcomact.in