Mr. Arun Balakrishnan is the Chairman and Managing Director of one of
India's largest oil refining and marketing companies - Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) – a position he has held since
April 1, 2007. Prior to this, he held various positions in marketing,
corporate, and HR functions across the country, including the Director
of Planning, Oil Coordination Committee; General Manager, International
Operations; and, Executive Director, Direct Sales.
As Director of Planning (1990 – 1995) for the Oil Coordination
Committee, he was involved in the preparation of the oil economy budget
and the compilation of the IX and X Plan. Among many noteworthy
achievements during this period were the demand projections for
petroleum in India in 1994, which have been acknowledged for the new
methodologies employed. Additional achievements include compilation for
the development of port facilities for petroleum, a preliminary study
for product pipelines, justifications for the Kandla to Bhatinda
pipeline, and various refinery expansions.
Mr. Balakrishnan initially joined HPCL in 1976 as a management
trainee. He played a key role in conducting Business Process
Re-engineering (BPR), with Accenture as consultant, resulting in the
formation of Strategic Business Units (SBU’s) in the organisation. He
is also credited with creating and later heading the new SBU for direct
sales, which included the highly competitive lubricants and bulk fuels
market.
After taking over the reins of the Human Resources function of HPCL
in January 2002, he spearheaded and introduced a number of contemporary
people management initiatives. As a result, the corporation became
acknowledged as one of the ‘Best Employers in India - 2004’ in the study
conducted by Hewitt Associates and CNBC - TV 18. Under Mr.
Balakrishnan’s leadership, HPCL was also the 2004 recipient of the award
for ‘Best Work Place Practices’ by the Asian Forum for Corporate Social
Responsibility, Philippines. In 2006, HPCL was also presented with the
award for Commitment to Building a Learning Organization’. |
