Our Energy Practice
India's energy sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The country has committed to 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, positioning itself as a global leader in the clean energy transition. Simultaneously, traditional oil & gas infrastructure, power generation, and utilities continue to require world-class operational and commercial leadership. The emergence of green hydrogen, offshore wind, pumped hydro storage, and battery storage as new asset classes is creating demand for leadership that simply did not exist five years ago.
Our Energy & Natural Resources practice at Gladwin International Leadership Advisors covers the complete energy value chain — from upstream oil & gas exploration and production, midstream pipelines and LNG, to downstream refining and petrochemicals, power generation (conventional and renewable), transmission and distribution utilities, and the full spectrum of new energy including solar, wind, green hydrogen, and energy storage.
The energy transition demands a specific type of leadership ambidexterity: leaders who can manage existing asset profitability while simultaneously investing in and building new clean energy businesses. We have deep experience in identifying and placing these rare leaders.
The Energy Landscape Today
India is the world's third-largest energy consumer and has among the most ambitious energy transition plans globally. Renewable energy capacity has grown from 75 GW to 180+ GW in 5 years and is targeting 500 GW by 2030. Solar manufacturing, offshore wind, green hydrogen, and battery storage are all receiving massive government support under PLI and mission programmes. The oil & gas sector continues to invest in refinery upgrades, City Gas Distribution expansion, and LNG infrastructure. Power utilities are dealing with ageing infrastructure, AT&C loss reduction, and the integration of intermittent renewable energy. NTPC, Adani Green, Greenko, ReNew Power, and dozens of renewable IPPs are all on aggressive growth paths.
Key Leadership Challenges in Energy
Energy transition leadership — finding executives who can credibly lead both the traditional energy business and new clean energy build-out simultaneously
Green hydrogen — an entirely new industry requiring leadership with electrolyzer technology understanding, offtake market development, and project finance expertise
Utility transformation — moving state DISCOMs and private utilities from loss-making distribution operations to efficient, digital-first consumer energy service companies
Project development at scale — utility-scale solar, wind, and pumped hydro projects require project development, EPC management, and financial close expertise
ESG and sustainability reporting — as energy companies become targets for investor scrutiny on climate transition plans, CSO and sustainability leadership is increasingly critical
Talent scarcity in emerging energy — there is no experienced talent pool for green hydrogen or long-duration storage; finding and developing leaders from adjacent sectors is a key challenge
Roles We Typically Place
Why Gladwin International Leadership Advisors for Energy
Deep conventional energy network — ONGC, Reliance Industries, BPCL, HPCL, GAIL, and all major oil & gas and power companies
Renewable energy IPP coverage — Adani Green, ReNew, Greenko, Azure, Torrent, JSW Energy, and 20+ renewable developers
Green hydrogen and new energy — early-mover practice building relationships with NTPC Green, ACME, Greenko, and global hydrogen companies entering India
Power utility transformation — track record with state discoms and private distribution companies
Energy transition advisory — helping clients define the leadership profile for roles that don't have precedent
Organisations We Serve
Oil & gas E&P, midstream, and downstream companies
Renewable energy IPPs, developers, and EPC companies
Power utilities (generation, transmission, distribution)
Energy storage, green hydrogen, and new energy companies
Petroleum and energy sector PSUs
Discuss a Mandate
Speak with our Energy practice lead today for a confidential conversation.
Get in TouchFull energy value chain coverage — conventional, renewable, and new energy
Green hydrogen and energy storage — India's most forward-looking energy leadership practice
Power utility transformation expertise for both state-owned and private distribution companies
Looking for a Energy Leader?
Our Energy practice is ready to help. Guaranteed placement · 12-month candidate guarantee · Affordable pricing for organisations across the value chain.
Frequently Asked Questions — Energy & Natural Resources Executive Search
Common questions about recruiting Energy & Natural Resources leadership in India.
Our Energy & Natural Resources practice covers the full energy spectrum — upstream oil & gas, power generation and distribution, renewable energy, energy storage, and mining. We combine deep sector knowledge with an extensive leadership network across India's PSU energy sector and the rapidly growing private and foreign-invested renewable energy space. Our consultants understand both the legacy energy leadership profile and the new energy leadership profile, which increasingly requires digital fluency, ESG fluency, and capital markets acumen.
We fill the complete leadership spectrum: CEO/MD, CFO, COO, Chief Project Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer, VP Operations, VP Business Development, Head of Upstream, Head of Renewable Energy, Head of Power Trading, Head of EPC, Head of Environment & Sustainability, Head of Regulatory Affairs, and Board Directors for energy holding companies. We work across power utilities, oil & gas companies, renewable energy developers, energy storage companies, and mining firms.
India's renewable energy sector is one of the world's most dynamic, with ambitious targets across solar, wind, and green hydrogen. The most effective renewable energy leaders combine strong project development and financing expertise with government stakeholder management, technology selection competency, and ESG leadership. Understanding power purchase agreements, grid integration, and battery storage economics is increasingly essential. Leaders who can bridge traditional power sector experience with the speed and innovation culture of new energy businesses are in high demand.
Yes. We have extensive experience recruiting for private oil & gas companies, oilfield services firms, and for the leadership of entities operating in India's complex PSU energy ecosystem. We understand the distinct competency requirements of PSU environments — including government relations, parliamentary accountability, and union stakeholder management — and we identify leaders who are genuinely effective in these contexts.
CEOs of large renewable energy platforms in India typically earn ₹3–8 crore CTC with significant performance-linked components tied to capacity addition and tariff achievement. COOs and CFOs of major renewable firms typically command ₹2–4.5 crore. For PSU energy companies, compensation structures differ significantly, with lower cash but often substantial government benefits. We provide market-specific compensation benchmarks for every energy search mandate.