New Delhi/Kolkata: B Sairam has assumed charge as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Coal India Limited (CIL), Maharatna public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Coal. He has taken over charge of the post with effect from December 15, the coal miner said in a statement on Tuesday.
He succeeds Sanoj Kumar Jha, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, who was holding the interim charge as Chairman of Coal India from November 1, following the superannuation of P M Prasad on October 31.
Prior to taking over the top position at Coal India, Sairam was serving as CMD of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), one of CIL’s key coal-producing subsidiaries. During his career spanning over three and a half decades, he has worked extensively across coal mine operations, planning, logistics and regulatory affairs .
After assuming charge of the post, Sairam took an introductory meeting with CIL functional directors and CMDs of subsidiary companies. The focus was on the leadership roadmap for achieving operational efficiency and taking the company to the next level of excellence. He also shared the immediate goals of achieving this year’s coal production targets with compliances on safety and quality.
The meeting was attended by CIL's Director (HR) Dr Vinay Ranjan; Director (Marketing,) Mukesh Choudhary; Director (Finance) Mukesh Agrawal; Director (Technical) Achyut Ghatak and CMDs of CIL's subsidiary companies.
Outlining the company’s strategic priorities, Sairam said that increasing coal production and improving the quality of coal supplies would remain Coal India’s core focus to meet the country’s growing energy demand. At the same time, he noted that the company is actively diversifying in line with evolving energy sector dynamics, with initiatives in areas such as solar power, critical mineral acquisitions and coal gasification. He also reiterated Coal India’s commitment to sustainable mining practices.
An alumnus of the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, Sairam holds a degree in mining engineering and an MBA in Energy Management from NTPC School of Business. Before leading NCL, he also served as Director (Technical) at Central Coalfields Limited, another coal-producing arm of Coal India .
Coal India Limited is the world’s largest coal producer and a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
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