Mumbai: Kedar Lele, Managing Director of Castrol India, will step down from his role effective December 31, 2025, bringing to a close a 15-month tenure at the company. Lele announced his departure through a post on LinkedIn, reflecting on what he described as a “short in time but deep in impact” stint.
In his message, Lele thanked colleagues, partners, and teams for their support, noting that the experience offered “lasting lessons in perseverance and perspective,” despite operating in demanding conditions.
Following Lele’s exit, Castrol India’s Board of Directors has appointed Saugata Basuray as Interim Chief Executive Officer with effect from January 1, 2026, until a new Managing Director is appointed. The appointment was disclosed earlier in October through a regulatory filing with the BSE.
Basuray will assume the role of Interim CEO in addition to his current responsibilities as Wholetime Director and Head – B2C Sales. Consequently, he will be re-designated as ‘Wholetime Director & Interim CEO’ effective January 1, 2026.
Lele is a seasoned business leader with over 25 years of experience across advertising, internet companies, FMCG marketing, sales, customer development, and general management. Prior to joining Castrol India, he spent more than two decades at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, where he was involved in building iconic brands and leading high-performing teams across complex business environments. At Castrol India, Lele also served as Vice President for the South Asia Performance Unit.
Saugata Basuray brings over 25 years of experience across sales, marketing, and business leadership within Castrol India Limited. He joined the company as a Management Trainee in 1999 after completing his MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) and has since progressed through a series of senior leadership roles in India and overseas.
Over the course of his career, Basuray has worked across four countries and two continents, gaining deep exposure to diverse markets and economic cycles. Early in his tenure, he served as Executive Assistant to the Managing Director of Castrol India and Regional Vice President at BP, providing him with close insight into strategic leadership and global business operations.
In 2008, Basuray moved to Castrol’s global headquarters in the UK, where he was part of the marketing team that helped establish Castrol Edge as a global power brand. After returning to India, he led sales for the B2B channel and later served as Head of Marketing for Castrol India. He subsequently held leadership roles as Managing Director of Castrol Philippines between 2013 and 2017 and later headed Castrol’s joint venture operations in Indonesia.
