Subir Raha
Subir Raha | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948-08-28 |
| Died | 2010-02-01 |
| Occupation | Oil industry executive |
| Known for | Chairman and Managing Director of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation; Director (HR) at Indian Oil Corporation |
Subir Raha () (28 August 1948 – 1 February 2010) held the position of Director (HR) at Indian Oil Corporation and was formerly the Chairman and Managing Director of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. In 2005, the Petroleum Economist, London, honored him with the title of Energy Executive of the Year.
Early life
Raha was born on 28 August 1948 and completed his degree in Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from Jadavpur University in 1969, where he received multiple accolades including Best All-rounder graduate. He earned an MBA with Distinction from the University of Leeds in 1985, focusing on Strategic Marketing, and later attended the Administrative Staff College, Henley in 1995.
ONGC
Beginning 25 May 2001, Raha led Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, a Government of India enterprise, as Chairman & Managing Director for a tenure of five years.
Oil Coordination Committee
Between 1996 and 1998, Raha held the role of Deputy Head at the Oil Coordination Committee (OCC) under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. His responsibilities included planning and overseeing the oil and gas sector within the Administered Pricing framework. He established the Petroleum Federation of India (Petrofed), an organization representing the oil and gas industry, and was instrumental in founding the Petrotech Society to advance academic initiatives within the industry.
IndianOil
From 1970 until 2001, Raha was associated with IndianOil, where he served as Director (HR) from 1998 to 2001 while also managing Business Development, IT, and Corporate Communications. He introduced several pioneering initiatives in India: a nationwide networked online transaction processing system (1986–88), real-time automated product terminals (1993–95), and modern retail outlets equipped with convenience stores and ATMs (1995–96). His contributions to logistics and LPG marketing established new benchmarks for the sector. As Director (HR), he launched India's first internal MBA program and spearheaded the country's inaugural global-scale ERP rollout. Additionally, Raha founded the IndianOil Foundation to preserve India's archaeological heritage and oversaw the privatization of Lubrizol India Ltd.
Death
Raha passed away due to lung cancer on 1 February 2010 in New Delhi. He is survived by his spouse and two children.
Remembrance
The Subir Raha Memorial Lecture is organized annually by the UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI). In tribute to him, the Subir Raha Oil Museum was inaugurated at ONGC's headquarters located in Dehradun.