Castrol India MD Kedar Lele steps down, Saugata Basuray named Interim CEO

Castrol India has announced a significant reshuffle in its top management. Managing director Kedar Lele will step down at the end of the year to pursue opportunities outside the company.

The board of directors confirmed that Lele will conclude his tenure as managing director on December 31, 2025. The company submitted this update through regulatory filings to the BSE and National Stock Exchange of India.

To ensure operational continuity, the board has appointed Saugata Basuray as interim chief executive officer effective January 1, 2026. Basuray will serve in this interim role until a permanent managing director is appointed.

Currently serving as whole-time director and head of B2C sales at Castrol India, Basuray will be formally re-designated as "whole-time director and interim CEO" when he assumes these additional responsibilities next year.

Basuray has over 25 years of experience with Castrol India, joining the company in 1999 as a management trainee after earning his MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management. His career spans multiple countries, including senior roles at Castrol’s international headquarters in the UK, and managing director positions in the Philippines and Indonesia.

During his current tenure, Basuray has led a multi-year transformation of Castrol India’s go-to-market strategy and significantly expanded the company’s distribution network across rural India.