New Delhi, India, September 2025 – The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India, during its meeting held on 20th September 2025, has cleared the way for Shri B. Sairam to become the next Chairman & Managing Director of Coal India Limited (CIL). With an extensive career spanning leadership roles across India’s coal sector, Sairam brings deep expertise in mining, operations, and organizational strategy to the helm of the world’s largest coal producer.
Sairam currently serves as Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), a role he has held since 2024, where he has been instrumental in driving operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability initiatives across the company’s mining operations.
Prior to this, he was Director Technical at Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), where he oversaw critical technical operations and contributed to the company’s modernization and productivity enhancement efforts. His leadership helped steer CCL’s mining operations through a phase of growth and innovation.
Earlier, at Coal India Limited, Sairam held the role of Executive Director, contributing at the corporate level to align strategic business goals with operational excellence across its subsidiaries.
His career also includes significant tenures at Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), where he worked as General Manager and later as Chief Manager. In these roles, he spearheaded key projects in mining operations, workforce management, and safety standards, helping position MCL as a leading subsidiary of CIL.
Sairam holds an Executive PGDM in Management from the NSB-NTPC School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur. His technical expertise, coupled with strong management acumen, has equipped him to lead large-scale mining organizations with a focus on operational excellence and long-term sustainability.
About Coal India Limited
Coal India Limited (CIL), a state-owned Maharatna enterprise, was established in 1975 and is the world’s largest coal producer. As of April 1, 2024, CIL employed more than 228,000 people and managed 313 mines across eight states of India, including 131 underground, 168 opencast, and 14 mixed mines.
CIL operates through twelve fully owned subsidiaries, including Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), and others. It also has international operations in Mozambique through Coal India Africana Limitada (CIAL) and joint ventures in fertilizers, clean energy, and coal gasification.
As one of only ten Maharatna companies in India, Coal India Limited holds a strategic role in the nation’s energy security, supplying the majority of the country’s coal requirements while steadily investing in renewable and clean energy initiatives.
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