In the past one year so, the power sector has witnessed a fresh round of leadership transitions across key institutions and companies. At the ministry level, a new secretary took charge at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Senior appointments were also made at various nodal implementation agencies including Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) and Grid Controller of India Limited (GRID-INDIA), along with changes at major public sector undertakings such as NHPC Limited and REC Limited. In the distribution segment, top-level changes were announced across several private discoms, including BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL). Private developers also saw a leadership churn, with new chief executive officers (CEOs) taking charge at Tata Power Renewable Energy, Cleantech Solar and Gentari India. Leadership changes were made for power market operators such as Hindustan Power Exchange and EDF Power Solutions. These changes reflect a broader push to bring in new leadership talent and strategic direction as the sector enters a phase of accelerated decarbonisation and digital transformation. A look at the major changes at the top….
PUBLIC SECTOR
Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE
Santosh Kumar Sarangi took over as secretary, MNRE, in April 2025. He succeeded Nidhi Khare, who was holding the post as an additional charge. Prior to this, Sarangi was serving as director general of foreign trade in the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
A 1994 batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, he has served in various capacities at the centre and in the Odisha government for close to three decades and has extensive administrative and policy experience.
Akash Tripathi, MD, SECI
Akash Tripathi, a 1998 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, joined SECI as managing director (MD) in August 2025. Prior to SECI, he worked as additional secretary in the Ministry of Power. In the past, he has served as CEO of MyGov, MD and CEO of Digital India Corporation, and CEO of the India Semiconductor Mission. In Madhya Pradesh, he served as divisional commissioner, Indore; principal secretary in the Department of Technical Education, Bhopal; and secretary (energy) with the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
A graduate in electronics and telecommunications engineering, he also has an MBA in finance.
Jitendra Srivastava, CMD, REC Limited
Jitendra Srivastava assumed charge as chairman and managing director (CMD) of REC Limited in April 2025. He is also the ex officio chairman on the board of REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited. Srivastava is a 2000 batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre and has held several key administrative and leadership roles with the Government of India and the Government of Bihar. From January 2023, he served as joint secretary in the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Earlier, he served as secretary in the Home Department and the Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Bihar.
A graduate in economics from Hansraj College, Delhi University, he also has an MBA in finance from the Cochin University of Science and Technology.
Samir Chandra Saxena, CMD, GRID-INDIA
Samir Chandra Saxena assumed charge as CMD of GRID-INDIA in May 2025. Prior to this, he served as director (market operations) at GRID-INDIA. He has nearly three decades of extensive experience across diverse domains, including power market operations, power system operations, power exchange operations, electricity market design, regulatory affairs, renewable energy integration, REC market design and operations, and SCADA-IT systems. He also represents India on the CIGRE Study Committee C5 on Electricity Markets and Regulation, contributing to global dialogue on power sector reforms and market development.
Saxena holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Aligarh Muslim University and an MBA from IIT Delhi. He has also completed a certificate course on “The Regulation of the Power Sector” from Comillas Pontifical University, Italy.
Bhupender Gupta, CMD, NHPC Limited
Bhupender Gupta took over as CMD of NHPC Limited in September 2025. Before joining NHPC, he was director (technical) at THDC India Limited. Gupta also holds the additional charge of CMD, SJVN Limited. With a career spanning over 34 years, Gupta has contributed significantly to the power sector across the hydro, thermal, renewable energy, transmission and distribution domains. His vision is to meet India’s rising power demand through non-fossil resources and strengthen energy self-reliance. He advocates integrating AI and emerging technologies such as electric vehicles, cybersecurity, green hydrogen, bioenergy and energy storage to achieve sustainable energy goals.
Gupta has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA in operations management.
Akhilesh Kumar Dixit, CEO, EESL
Akhilesh Kumar Dixit assumed charge as CEO of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in June 2025. He has 32 years of experience in the power sector, having served in diverse leadership roles at Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID). His expertise spans substation and transmission operations, business development, corporate social responsibility, human resources and procurement. With a background in electrical engineering and a PGDBM, Dixit combines technical excellence with strategic acumen. “It is an honour to lead EESL at a time when energy efficiency is at the core of India’s sustainable development goals. I look forward to building on EESL’s strong legacy while charting a bold path forward – one that integrates smart technologies, fosters inclusive growth and delivers measurable impact for our nation,” Dixit said.
PRIVATE SECTOR
Sanjay Banga, CEO and MD, Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited
Sanjay Banga was appointed CEO and MD of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited in June 2025 following an internal reorganisation. Prior to this, he headed the transmission and distribution verticals as well as the trading business at Tata Power. In the past, he has served as CEO of Tata Power-DDL. A power sector veteran with over three decades of experience in the generation and distribution business, Banga’s expertise in the power sector encompasses operational technologies, project management, utility business process reengineering and regulation. He holds an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi. He is also an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra; and has completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program of Harvard Business School.
Harish Saran, MD, Hindustan Power Exchange
Harish Saran was appointed managing director of HPX in June 2025. He brings to the table close to four decades of experience across power generation, transmission, trading and electricity market development. Before taking charge at HPX, Saran held key leadership positions at PTC India Limited.
Saran has also contributed significantly to power market innovations, achieving exceptional results in market leadership, stakeholder engagement and financial performance. In the past, he has been associated with NTPC Limited and POWERGRID. Saran graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from NIT Durgapur, and holds a PGDM from IMT Ghaziabad.
Dwijadas Basak, CEO, Tata Power-DDL
Dwijadas Basak was appointed CEO of Tata Power-DDL, effective June 9, 2025. Prior to joining Tata Power-DDL, Basak was the CEO of TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited and chief, Odisha Distribution Business. He has earlier also served as chief operating officer at TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited, where he played a pivotal role in driving operational excellence. Basak has over three decades of experience in power distribution management. Since 2003, he has been a part of the Tata Power Group in various capacities and has played a pivotal role in the transformation of its power distribution business. On his appointment, Basak stated, “I look forward to building on the company’s strong foundation and leading it into its next phase of growth with the support of our highly talented and committed team.”
Sanjay Gupta, CEO, Cleantech Solar
Sanjay Gupta was appointed CEO of Cleantech Solar in December 2024. He has nearly four decades of experience across the conventional and renewable energy sectors. “I am excited to lead a highly talented and dedicated team at this pivotal moment, steering the company through the successful execution of a large portfolio of projects, enhancing our market leadership, and continuing to deliver outstanding value to our customers,” stated Gupta on his appointment. Prior to joining Cleantech Solar, he served as director, asset management at Keppel Fund Management, and held senior leadership roles at Sembcorp Industries and Energy Australia.
Gupta holds a degree in mechanical engineering from HBTI Kanpur and an MBA from Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong.
Neeraj Parakh, CEO and ED, Reliance Power
Neeraj Parakh was appointed executive director (ED) and CEO of Reliance Power on January 20, 2025. He joined the Reliance Group in June 2004 as additional manager in the central technical services team at Reliance Infrastructure. Over the past two decades, he progressively took on roles across project execution, operations, procurement and taxation. During his tenure at Reliance, Parakh has played a key role in delivering large-scale thermal and renewable projects. He has been pivotal in improving Reliance Power’s operational self-reliance by localising procurement, building a robust vendor network, and streamlining technology and contract management.
Parakh is a graduate in production engineering from YCCE, Nagpur, with an MBA from the Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai.
Sharad Pungalia, Country Head, Gentari India
Sharad Pungalia was appointed country head of Gentari India in May 2025. His appointment came on the back of Gentari’s announcement of the integration of its commercial and industrial-focused platform, Amplus Solar, with the Gentari brand, marking a significant milestone in its journey in India. Pungalia has over 20 years of experience in the power and energy sector, with expertise in project development, commercial strategy and regulatory navigation, and a proven track record of delivering customer-focused, scalable energy solutions. As MD and CEO of Amplus Solar, he helped scale the company to over 2.4 GW and expand its offerings to include storage, hybrids and green hydrogen.
Pungalia holds a PGDBA in finance from IBS Hyderabad.
Abhishek Ranjan, CEO, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited
Abhishek Ranjan was appointed CEO of BRPL in January 2025. He brings over two decades of experience across the power and energy transition sectors, with a focus on renewables, storage and power markets. Prior to joining BRPL, Ranjan served as partner at EY–Parthenon, where he led initiatives in energy transition and decarbonisation. He has previously held senior leadership positions at ReNew Power, Reliance Power, NHPC and Infosys.
Ranjan holds a degree in electrical engineering from NIT Bhopal and a PGDM from XLRI Jamshedpur.
Guirec Servan, CEO, EDF Power Solutions India
In September 2025, Guirec Servan was appointed CEO of EDF Power Solutions India. He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from ESTP, France, and has over 25 years of experience in steering organisations through strategic turnarounds and growth.
He has been associated with EDF for nearly two decades, prior to which he worked with EY in Paris as a consultant. He has held several management positions across consulting, internal auditing, grid and network activities, and business development. With over 15 years in the power sector, he has overseen EDF Renewables’ transition from a 50:50 joint venture to full acquisition. In India, over the past four years, he has represented shareholders in EDF Renewables India and Eden Renewables (a joint venture with TotalEnergies), monitoring operations as well as under-construction and development assets.
Mukul Srivastava, CEO, Transformers & Rectifiers India Limited
Mukul Srivastava was appointed CEO of Transformers & Rectifiers India Limited (TARIL) in July 2025. He joined TARIL at a time of renewed company focus on innovation, operational efficiency and market expansion. Srivastava has over three decades of experience in executive leadership, profit and loss management, and driving growth across multi-products. He has previously held senior positions at CG Power, CG Lucy Switchgear and Kirloskar Oil Engines, managing portfolios in transformers, switchgear systems, ring main units and gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technologies. He has worked extensively in the electrical industry, particularly in the transformers and switchgear segments. His expertise spans power and distribution transformers, instrument transformers, condenser bushings, vacuum circuit breakers, ring main units, unitised substations, GIS and numerical relays.
Srivastava is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the Dayalbagh Educational Institute.