Shell India Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta to step down in October

Shell Companies in India Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, 60, will step down in October, a statement from the firm has said. Yasmine Hilton, a PhD in Genetics, who has worked in a number of leadership roles across the Shell Group, will be the new chairman.

The statement, however, did not mention why Mehta, who has been the face of Shell in India for 24 years, was stepping down.

"Vikram Singh Mehta, Chairman, Shell Companies in India has chosen to step out of the company after 24 years of service, effective October 31, 2012," it said.

"Since 1993, Vikram has significantly enabled growth across diverse Shell businesses in India and has set a strong platform for future expansion," the statement added.

Yasmine Hilton, Mehta's successor, was born in Mumbai and joined the Shell Group in 1979. She is currently based in London and will be relocating to India in September.

Shell is among the largest energy companies in India and is the only major international energy firm with a licence to retail fuels (petrol and diesel) and aviation fuel as well as marketing specialty products like lubricants and bitumen.

It has one of the country's two LNG import terminals at Hazira (in a joint venture with Total of France) and has set up a world class technology centre in Bangalore.

With PTI inputs