EVP – Strategy and Portfolio — Trading And Supply Organisation

The mandate

A privately held Indian energy group has deferred choices across its trading and supply organisation through several planning cycles. Physical books, logistics positions, customer contracts, storage, optionality and regional teams grew around different commodity conditions. The next cycle requires a sharper answer on which activities create repeatable portfolio value, which merely consume credit and working capital, and which capabilities belong inside the enterprise.

The perimeter covers approximately ₹36,000 crore in operated assets and trading portfolio and 2,175 employees and material partners. Accountability includes portfolio strategy, book and market choices, asset-backed optionality, customer and supply positioning, strategic partnerships, resource allocation, scenario planning and execution governance. Trading leaders own positions within limits and risk retains independent oversight. The EVP owns portfolio coherence and whether capital, balance sheet and talent follow approved choices.

Trading performance can flatter weak strategy. A favourable market may reward an unrepeatable position, while logistics or customer capability that protects downside may appear expensive in one period. The role must separate structural advantage, execution quality and commodity movement.

The organisation will not be judged on producing a long market outlook. Strategy must decide where to concentrate, what to stop and which optionality deserves its carrying cost.

Why this seat is open

The incumbent is leaving through an accelerated but orderly transition. Interim leadership protects limits and live commitments, but commodity repositioning cannot remain divided. The board wants a permanent appointment within six to eight weeks. The succession is unrelated to an undisclosed trading loss, control breach or conduct issue.

What you will own

• Segment books and assets by repeatable source of advantage.
• Decide market, customer, supply and logistics positions to scale or exit.
• Connect strategy with credit, liquidity, risk and specialist talent.
• Build correlated commodity and disruption scenarios.
• Govern partnerships, asset optionality and portfolio milestones.
• Develop strategy leaders fluent in physical and financial economics.

Portfolio diagnosis will decompose returns into market exposure, asset or contract optionality, customer franchise, logistics execution, information and risk consumption. The EVP will compare contribution after credit, working capital, collateral and tail exposure. Activities whose apparent value depends on unpriced enterprise support will be exposed.

Market choices will define instruments, physical relevance, geography, customer need and holding period. A new book requires a credible edge, control framework, systems, talent and a loss-bearing limit before activity begins. Historic presence or senior confidence is not a thesis. Exit conditions will be agreed at approval rather than invented after performance weakens.

Asset-backed optionality will be tested for actual usability. Storage, transport, terminal access, supply flexibility and contractual swing can create value only if rights, operations and market timing align. The EVP will distinguish resilience capacity from commercial option and ensure its cost is assigned transparently. Capacity that cannot be exercised under plausible constraints will not receive theoretical value.

Customer and supply portfolios will be designed together. Long-term obligations, spot exposure, credit, indexation, location and quality must reconcile. The strategy team will examine concentration and the effect of losing a counterparty during market stress. Partnership choices will specify contribution, information, governance and exit rather than rely on relationship language.

Scenarios will combine price, volatility, basis, liquidity, credit and physical disruption. Pre-agreed signposts will trigger reduced limits, alternative supply, asset use, funding actions or portfolio review. The EVP will ensure strategy is tested against severe but plausible operating conditions, not just high and low price lines.

The first 12 months

Within 75 days, the EVP will re-underwrite the 15 largest books, assets and partnership positions and assess leadership. The sponsor will receive retain, reshape, scale and exit recommendations with capital and risk consequences.

By month eight, three portfolio choices should release or redirect credit and working capital, two asset or contract positions should have verified optionality economics and every priority book should carry explicit entry and exit conditions. Resource plans will reflect approved choices.

At year-end, 90% of deployed risk capital should sit behind approved portfolio theses, forecast contribution remain within 10% after market attribution and unsupported positions reach zero. At least two structural moves must show value independent of directional commodity price, with ready successors for 70% of pivotal strategy roles.

What the board will measure

• Returns separated into structural advantage and market movement.
• Credit, liquidity and talent aligned with chosen positions.
• Asset and contract optionality valued only when usable.
• Timely exit from weak books and partnerships.
• Independent portfolio challenge and succession.

The person

You are an EVP Strategy, portfolio executive or trading-and-supply leader with 22–28 years of experience. You have carried accountable scope above ₹20,900 crore and led at least 1,525 people. Your record includes physical commodities, customer and supply portfolios, logistics optionality and board-level allocation.

The board will test a profitable-looking book you exited, an asset option you found unusable and a portfolio shift whose benefit survived a market reversal. You must be commercially credible without displacing risk independence. Pure corporate planning without physical or trading consequences will not qualify.

This hybrid Mumbai role requires regular market, customer, asset, risk and board travel.

Compensation and terms

Fixed compensation is ₹2.2–3.0 crore plus performance variable. Measures include portfolio quality, structural contribution, capital use, scenarios, execution and succession. Final terms follow the confirmed trading and supply perimeter.

Confidentiality

The enterprise, books, positions, assets, counterparties and strategy remain confidential. Further detail follows qualification and mutual confidentiality. Rounded scale and composite situations protect identity.