French firm Total SA appoints B Vijay Kumar as CMD

French oil firm Total SA has appointed B Vijay Kumar as head refining and marketing in India.

B Vijay Kumar will be the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Total India (R&M), succeeding Christian Chammas, a company release said here.

"Prior to this role, Kumar was Managing Director at Total Fiji, where he was responsible for business strategy and growth," it said.

Kumar has more than 30 years of extensive local and international experience in the downstream energy business, leading integrated organisations, developing new businesses and focusing on cross-cultural leadership development.

The new appointment, effective from October 1, was announced by Thierry Pflimlin, senior vice-president at Total Refining & Marketing (R&M) Asia-Pacific.

Kumar holds a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela and a Management degree from MDI Gurgaon.

Total India (Refining & Marketing) operates through four subsidiaries, Total Petroleum India, Total Lubricants India, Total LPG India, Total Vinergy Bitumen India, employing about 530 people.

Total is one of the world’s major oil and gas groups, with activities in more than 130 countries. Its 97,000 employees put their expertise to work in every part of the industry - exploration and production of oil and natural gas, refining and marketing, gas trading and electricity.