Sunil Kumar Bains, a board member and director, commercial, Central U.P. Gas Limited (CUGL), has extensive experience of 35 years in the oil and gas sector, including pivotal roles at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). At CUGL, he has a series of accomplishments to his credit including a 45 per cent growth in customer base, a 35 per cent expansion in infrastructure, a 71 per cent increase in revenues and a 51 per cent rise in profits, within just 13 months of leadership.
CUGL, a pioneering first-generation CGD company, has taken significant strides in digitising consumer data in the domestic PNG segment. It has successfully implemented key digital solutions, including real-time digital billing, on-the-spot payments and geotagging of PNG consumers. Aligned with the prime minister’s concept of the five nectar elements, Panchamrit, CUGL is committed to significantly reducing its carbon footprint and adopting clean energy solutions. Its state-of-the-art waste-to-energy plant in Kanpur demonstrates its commitment to environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality.
The Indian market for CNG and PNG presents a significant growth potential for CGD companies. Despite being one of the world’s largest energy consumers, natural gas usage in India remains relatively low at 5.75 per cent, against the global average of 23.49 per cent, indicating ample room for growth. CUGL is well positioned to capitalise on this opportunity.
Bains is an advocate for a work-life balance and employee engagement, and frequently organises training programmes for his team. He has ambitious goals for CUGL, such as setting up 150 CNG stations, serving 0.25 million domestic PNG customers, and acquiring over 1,000 industrial/commercial customers across CUGL’s geographical areas by 2026.
Bains has a civil engineering degree from the Delhi College of Engineering and a master’s in business administration with a focus on marketing and human resources from FMS Delhi. He also has a master’s in law with a specialisation in labour law from the Indian Law Institute. Beyond his professional endeavours, Bains is an adventurer, who enjoys long-distance drives, photography and heritage walks. He is also an enthusiastic cyclist and a valued member of the BPCL golf team. Despite his busy schedule, he continues to pursue his childhood passion for quizzing, excelling as a national-level quiz player and quizmaster.