Castrol India MD Kedar Lele resigns; Saugata Basuray appointed interim CEO
Saugata Basuray brings over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business leadership, having spent nearly three decades at Castrol India.
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Automotive lubricant manufacturer Castrol India on Friday announced that Managing Director Kedar Lele has resigned from the company, effective December 31, 2025.
According to the company’s stock exchange filing, “Kedar Lele will cease to be the Managing Director of the Company with effect from the end of business hours on 31 December 2025, on account of his resignation from the services of the Company to pursue other opportunities.”
Lele, who was appointed Managing Director on November 1, 2024, joined Castrol India after an illustrious two-decade career at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), where he last served as Executive Director.
The lubricant manufacturer’s Board of Directors has also announced the appointment of Saugata Basuray as Interim CEO, effective January 1, 2026, until a new Managing Director is named.
“Saugata Basuray will take on the role of Interim CEO in addition to his current role as Wholetime Director & Head -- B2C Sales, and will be re-designated as ‘Wholetime Director & Interim CEO’ effective January 1, 2026,” the company said in the filing.
About Saugata Basuray
Basuray brings over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business leadership, having spent nearly three decades at Castrol India. He joined the company as a Management Trainee in 1999 after completing his MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune, and holds an engineering degree from the University of Pune.
He has held diverse roles across four countries and two continents, including leadership positions in India, the UK, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Early in his career, he served as Executive Assistant to the Managing Director of Castrol India and as Regional Vice President at bp, gaining exposure to global business strategy and operations.
In 2008, Basuray moved to Castrol’s global headquarters in the UK, where he was part of the marketing team that helped build Castrol EDGE into a global power brand. He later led B2B sales and marketing for Castrol India before taking charge as Managing Director of Castrol’s joint venture in Indonesia. From 2013 to 2017, he also served as Managing Director of Castrol Philippines.
Currently, Basuray heads the B2C business segment at Castrol India, where he has led a multi-year transformation of the company’s go-to-market model and significantly expanded its distribution network in rural India.
