Executive Management

Mr. Apparao Cherukuri has more than 34 years of international oil & gas experience, designing, planning and execution of high pressure gas wells, demonstrating engineering excellence, leading DE team, delivering complex wells.

Mr. Cherukuri started his oilfield career with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, Major E&P company in India as a Drilling Engineer. Continued to work at ONGC in Assam, KG basin moved up to the ranks of superintendent Engineer (Drilling).

Later spent five years working with Petroleum Development of Oman (Shell JV) at Oman as lead drilling engineer/ Drilling superintendent. During this tenure delivered on shore development wells and enhanced the well delivery significantly in a factory mode of drilling. Part of the team piloted several new technologies- dump flooding, chemical solvent implementation for thick oil, foam cementation. Planning and execution of exploration well, field development-optimizing well designs for 24 cluster fields.

Joined bp Azerbaijan as Senior Drilling Engineer and served 8 years. Leading team of DE, delivered side track well in extended reach wells in Chirag oil field and subsea HP deep gas wells in ShahDeniz project. Accomplished the delivery of complex ShahDeniz wells (Subsea, narrow PPFG, deep HP gas) and strategically important in BP portfolio.

In 2021 Mr. Cherukuri joined SOCAR AQS as Drilling Engineering director.

Mr. Cherukuri holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and master’s degree in finance.