Dr. Purvi Mehta Bhatt Joins Deepak Fertilisers & Petrochemicals Corporation As Independent Woman Director
Dr. Purvi Mehta Bhatt has been appointed as an Independent Woman Director of Deepak Fertilisers & Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, with effect from January 1, 2026.
Sanjay Gupta, Sitaram Kunte, and Terje Bakken have been reappointed as Independent Directors of the company with effect from February 2, 2026.
Dr. Mehta has served as Senior Advisor for Global Growth and Opportunities at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she led partnerships with institutions including the IMF, World Bank, ADB, and AfDB, and worked with private sector companies. She currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Global Centre for Adaptation and the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program. She is an Independent Director at Advanta Enterprises Ltd. and has earlier served on the Board of NCDEX. She has held roles at ILRI, IFPRI, and USAID, is an Adjunct Professor at Cornell University, and has authored books and research publications. Dr. Mehta is a senior executive with over 28 years of leadership experience across Asia, Africa, and North America. Her work spans agriculture, food systems, climate change, financial management, and technology transfer.
Gupta is a former Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Engineers India Ltd. (EIL), a Government of India (GoI) undertaking. He has over three and a half decades of experience in the hydrocarbon industry and has been involved in large-scale projects across multiple segments. During his more than 37 years with EIL, he worked in planning, construction, projects, commercial functions, business development, and technology. His project experience includes refineries, petrochemicals, integrated complexes, gas processing, cross-country pipelines, and LNG facilities. He has authored several technical books and papers related to the sector. After his superannuation in 2017, Gupta served as CEO (Projects) for a single-train refinery and petrochemical complex, overseeing construction, startup, and commissioning until the project became operational.
Kunte is a 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Maharashtra cadre with 36 years of service. His career spans policy formulation, implementation, and monitoring across district and state-level assignments. He served as Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, where he coordinated the state response during the second wave of COVID, focusing on hospital capacity, testing, medical supplies, and oxygen availability. In this role, he also oversaw coordination for infrastructure and development projects. Earlier, he served as Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Department and held charge of General Administration and Higher and Technical Education. His experience includes leadership roles in finance, environment, energy, planning, forests, and housing departments. Kunte has also served as Municipal Commissioner of MCGM, Vice President and CEO of MHADA, and Collector of Dhule and Beed.
Bakken is a Norwegian national and has over 30 years of experience in plant nutrition and industrial nitrogen solutions, including more than two decades in international roles across Asia and Europe. His work spans fertiliser marketing, specialty fertilisers, research management, commodity trading, supply chain operations, nutrient recycling, and general management. Bakken served as Executive Vice President (EVP) at Yara International for seven years and as Head of Marketing and Sales on the management board of EuroChem A.G. in Switzerland for six years. He is now based in Oslo, Norway, where he runs an independent consultancy.
