Ashok Kumar Panda Takes Charge as SAIL Chairman and Managing Director

Ashok Kumar Panda on Saturday assumed charge as chairman and managing director of state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), succeeding Amarendu Prakash whose tenure ended on April 1, 2026. Panda, who joined SAIL in 1992 as a Management Trainee (Technical), has spent more than three decades with the company and previously served as Director (Finance).

Before taking over as CMD, Panda held multiple operational, financial, and commercial roles across various plants and units of SAIL. He played a key role in several strategic initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency and profitability during his tenure as Director (Finance).

Panda stated that SAIL is preparing for its next phase of growth and capacity expansion, with a focus on safety, raw material security, and expanding market reach with value-added products. He said the company is on track for its next phase of capacity expansion to 35 MTPA.

The company, under the Ministry of Steel, is India’s largest public sector steel manufacturing company with an installed capacity of over 20 million tonnes per annum. The immediate next steps for SAIL under Panda's leadership will involve implementing the planned capacity expansion and strengthening raw material security.