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The Association of CGD Entities (ACE), incorporated on December 30, 2020, under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to championing the growth and development of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) sector in India. Headquartered in Delhi, ACE unites forward-thinking entities committed to transforming India’s energy landscape through natural gas centric sustainable and innovative solutions.
Our core members include leading players such as Adani Total Gas Ltd., Gujarat Gas Ltd., Megha Gas, THINK Gas (including AG&P which is part of THINK Gas now), and Torrent Gas Ltd. Associate members include Haryana City Gas and IRM Energy Ltd.
Together, we are committed to creating an ecosystem where natural gas plays a pivotal role in India’s clean energy transition while setting new benchmarks in sustainability, innovation, and growth.
Director General-ACE
Mr. Subhash Kumar is an energy industry veteran with four decades’ experience in India and abroad. He superannuated from ONGC as its Chairman and Managing Director and Director Finance in December 2021. He has also served as a member of the board of various group companies, including four equity listed companies – ONGC, HPCL, MRPL and Petronet LNG Limited. During his leadership role at ONGC group he has also been the President of Global Compact India. Mr Kumar has had an outstanding academic career with a master’s degree in commerce from Panjab University, Chandigarh with Gold Medal. He is also a Fellow Member of Institute of Cost Accountants of India and Associate Member of Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
During his roles at ONGC group of companies he has worked with globally acclaimed players operating in oil and gas upstream, midstream and downstream segments. At ONGC Group, he played a pivotal role in the group’s global acquisitions as a key contributor towards the growth of the company’s portfolio from just one overseas asset in 2001 to about 40 assets across the globe. He was also posted in Colombia for managing a joint venture with SINOPEC, a Chinese company and Ecopetrol, the national oil company of Colombia. He as part of Local Management Board, played a crucial role in steering the Joint Venture, establishing key systems which have served as reference for Company’s other global operations.
He was also Member and Nodal Officer of Energy Transition Advisory Committee (ETAC) set up by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. During 2022-23, he was also a Director at ACME Solar Holdings, a company working in renewables space with focus on green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives in driving Energy Transition during 2023-24. He is Chairman, Advisory Board of Renergy Dynamics Limited. On May 1, 2024, Mr. Kumar assumed the role of Director General, ACE (Association of CGD Entities).
Deputy Director General - ACE
MD – Torrent Gas Limited
MD – Torrent Gas Limited
Shri Manoj Jain, a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA in Operations Management, is ex-Chairman and Managing Director of GAIL (India) Limited. Before his appointment as CMD, GAIL, Shri Jain was Director (Business Development) of the GAIL. Shri Jain also held positions of Chairman of GAIL Global (USA) Inc. (GGUI), GAIL Global (USA) LNG LLC (GGULL), Konkan LNG Pvt Ltd (KLPL), Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited and in CGD Sector, he held positions of Chairman of Mahanagar Gas Limited, Gail Gas Limited and Director of Indraprastha Gas Limited. Shri Jain possesses rich and diverse experience in the areas of Business Development, Projects, O&M, Petrochemicals, Pipeline Integrity Management and Gas Marketing and has insight and knowledge across multiple business units and functional areas.
As Director (Business Development), he was responsible for building GAIL’s business portfolio in India and abroad, Merger and Acquisition, Petrochemical O&M and Expansion, Exploration & Production, R&D, Start–Up, Health Safety & Environment management, Quality Management, Project Development including feasibility study and investment approval for new pipelines, process plants, renewables, etc.
Shri Jain had worked in Operation & Maintenance of Natural Gas pipelines and played a significant role in establishing the National Gas Management Centre (NGMC) and systems and procedures for transmission and marketing of comingled gases. With his consistent efforts and increased thrust on development, GAIL was able to consistently achieve over one million DPNG connections and around 400 CNG stations per year. Shri Jain had active involvement in Govt. of India’s Compressed Bio-Gas initiative and its policies. He also laid foundation for GAIL’s foray into greener alternative fuels like green Hydrogen. Shri Jain joined Torrent Gas as Managing Director w.e.f. 01.01.2024.
CEO - Adani Total Gas Ltd.
CEO - Adani Total Gas Ltd.
Mr. Suresh is a seasoned professional with 29 years of varied experience in diversified businesses. He has immense experience in Oil and Gas projects as well as major specialization in conceptualising, negotiating, forming and successfully operating city gas distribution businesses and joint ventures. Suresh started his career with Kelvinator (now Whirlpool India) and subsequently worked with GAIL, Mahanagar Gas (JV of GAIL and Shell), and India Gas Solutions (JV of RIL and BP). Prior to joining Adani Gas Ltd, Suresh was working with Reliance Industries Ltd as Sr. Vice President & Head of Commercial of petroleum retail business. Suresh, by profession, is a Cost Accountant and has acquired educational degrees of M.COM, LLB, ACMA, FCS.
Managing Director and CEO - THINK Gas
Managing Director and CEO - THINK Gas
Mr. Abhilesh Gupta is the Managing Director & CEO of THINK Gas, which is the merged entity of AG&P Pratham and THINK Gas. A a leading player in the Indian City Gas Distribution (CGD) business, THINK Gas holds 19 CGD Authorizations awarded by the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG). THINK Gas aims to develop CGD infrastructure and provide natural gas across 49 Districts in the 10 states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, serving around 100 million people.
Mr. Gupta comes with an experience of 27 years across LNG, City Gas Distribution and Power domains in India and Singapore. Previously, Mr. Gupta oversaw global gas infrastructure development for AG&P International Holding Pte Ltd. He also served as CFO at Asian Genco Pte Ltd., a Singapore-based company with 4,000 MW of power generation assets in the hydrothermal and renewable sectors. Backed by investors like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and General Atlantic, Asian Genco played a critical role in advancing energy infrastructure.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Gupta also served as the General Manager of Finance at Petronet LNG Ltd. During his time there, he played a pivotal role in the financial closure of India’s first LNG terminals in Gujarat and Kerala. A chartered accountant by profession, Mr. Gupta’s extensive career includes significant positions at Indraprastha Gas, Rio Tinto India, and ABB, specializing in investor relations, debt funding, charter agreements, and treasury management.
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Director and CEO - Megha City Gas Distribution Pvt Ltd.
Director and CEO - Megha City Gas Distribution Pvt Ltd.
Mr. Venkatesh Palimpati is an experienced professional in the city gas distribution sector, currently serving as the Director and CEO of Megha City Gas Distribution Private Limited since October 2021. Prior to this role, Venkatesh was the Business Head at Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) for a decade, where responsibilities included overseeing city gas distribution and managing international EPC projects in Tanzania and Zambia. Venkatesh began their career as a Project Engineer, focusing on power transmission line construction, and gained initial experience as a Project Intern at Cameron, a Schlumberger company.
Venkatesh holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering/Industrial Management from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology.
Managing Director – HCG
Managing Director – HCG
Mr. Rahul Chopra is the Managing Director of the HCG–Bentex Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Michigan State University, USA. After gaining international work experience in the United States, he joined the family business in 2008. Since then, Mr. Chopra has led the group’s transformation with a systems-driven, process-oriented approach, resulting in significant growth in scale, efficiency, and profitability year after year.
Under his leadership, the HCG–Bentex Group has expanded into one of the country’s most dynamic players in the City Gas Distribution (CGD) sector. He has played a pivotal role in securing City Gas Distribution licenses across 20+ districts in India, with each license offering 25 years of network exclusivity. His strategic vision continues to position the Group as a forward-thinking, high-performance enterprise with a strong focus on long-term sustainability.
Chief Executive Officer – IRM Energy
Chief Executive Officer – IRM Energy
With over 35 years of experience and a proven track record of managing large-scale projects of Indian Oil, and he brings unmatched expertise in Finance, Project Management, and Greenfield Projects across the Oil & Petrochemical industry. A Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Mr. Sharma has held key leadership roles at IOCL, spearheading growth in Natural Gas, Petrochemicals, and Sustainable Development while serving on the boards of prestigious international and domestic entities.