MAM
Gulf Oil fuels its sales engine with Biresh Singh in the driver’s seat
MUMBAI: It isn’t every day that a seasoned sales general straps in for another ride. But when the road ahead promises a high-speed transformation and a pit crew hungry for growth, the engines are bound to roar. Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd. (GOLIL) has shifted gears and brought in a new navigator. Meet Biresh Singh, a 26-year industry vet with a history of turning sluggish sales machines into slick, high-performance units.
Gulf Oil confirmed Singh’s appointment as senior vice president – channel sales. The move is more than a standard hire; it’s a full-throttle play to supercharge Gulf’s B2C growth and dig deep into the digital trenches. Singh, who cut his teeth at Castrol India, knows a thing or two about sales transformation, route-to-market revamps and keeping the channel engine humming.
In his new role, Singh will steer Gulf Oil’s B2C channel expansion strategy, fine-tune route-to-market efficiencies, and plug in digital tools to maximise sales output. And timing? Spot on. The lubricants game is changing, with India’s auto and industrial sectors demanding faster, smarter, cleaner solutions.
Singh brings a decorated toolkit. With a resume stretching over two and a half decades, he’s led business units clocking over Rs 1,000 crore, partnered with top-tier consultants, and built future-ready sales models. From pushing digital enablement to reshaping how field teams hit targets, Singh has done it all—without stalling.
“We are delighted to welcome Biresh Singh to the Gulf Oil family,” said Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd MD & CEO Ravi Chawla. “His deep expertise in channel sales, sales transformation, and digital integration aligns perfectly with our vision of strengthening our go-to-market strategy. With our expanding presence across automotive, infrastructure, and industrial sectors aligning with India’s growth story, we have an exceptional opportunity to revolutionise and future-proof our channel sales strategy. As the lubricants industry continues to evolve, Biresh’s leadership will play a crucial role in expanding our channel footprint and driving sustainable business growth.”
Singh, equally revved up, responded, “I am thrilled to join Gulf at such a pivotal moment as the brand reshapes its marketing approach and leads the way in product innovation with customers at the core. I look forward to leveraging my experience in sales transformation, digital adoption, and strategic execution to enhance Gulf Oil’s market reach and deepen customer engagement.”
Armed with a mechanical engineering degree and polished at IIM Ahmedabad’s MDP programme, Singh also boasts credentials from BP’s elite CAPS leadership programme. He isn’t just here to man the wheel—he’s here to redesign the car.
Gulf Oil’s move signals a strategic shift: out with business-as-usual, in with velocity, vision, and some digital grit. With Singh calling the sales plays, GOLIL is banking on smarter routes, stronger connections, and serious market mileage.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
