Chief Manager (Innovation), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL)

Karthick R is Chief Manager (Innovation) at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), India where he leads the Innovation Centre responsible for developing strategic & sustainable process technologies, and AI/ML-driven real-time optimization technologies for refining and petrochemical operations. With over 17 years of experience spanning R&D, process engineering, refinery configuration, process synthesis and scale-up, and concept-to-commissioning of refinery and petrochemical projects, he has successfully led the commercialization of six innovative technologies. His team has received the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India’s Best Innovation Award for four consecutive years (2022–2025). He is also the recipient of the "Young Achiever" and "Innovator of the Year 2025" awards from the Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India. He holds 41 patents (12 granted and 29 under examination) and has authored seven international technical publications.