Ranjit Rath has been appointed as the new chairman and managing director of Oil India Ltd (OIL), India’s second-largest state-run oil and gas producer.

Rath (50), who is a geoscientist, is an alumnus of IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur and Utkal University. He took charge on August 2, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

He replaces Sushil Chandra Mishra who superannuated on June 30.

Previously, Rath was the chairman and managing director of Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL) and was selected for the top job at Oil India Ltd by the government headhunter in March.

Rath is also a recipient of the prestigious National Geosciences Award from the President of India, the statement said.

“Rath has a rich portfolio of diverse roles spanning from strategy formulation, business development and upstream asset management to application of geosciences and exploration geology in several important projects including the creation of Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs),” it added.