Moscow: A US-based non-resident Indian (NRI) Raj Kumar Gupta has been nominated to the board of directors of the largest Russian oil and gas company "YUKOS-Sibneft" floated earlier this month.

YUKOS-Sibneft oil giant formed after merger of two Russian companies YUKOS and Sibneft would be the fourth largest international energy corporation in the world after British Petroleum, Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

Raj Kumar Gupta, 61, is a Houston-based independent management consultant, who joined YUKOS in 2000 and has been chairing the compensation committee, board of directors, a YUKOS release said.

Gupta, former vice president, strategic planning, Phillips Petroleum Company is a graduate of Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidalaya Engineering College and did his post-graduate studies in Kansas State University.

Gupta's appointment is expected to be confirmed at the conference of shareholders of the new company next month and he is tipped to look after the financial matters of the YUKOS-Sibneft energy giant, which has world's largest "proved" reserves among private companies to the tune of 18.4 billion bbl.

Last year's joint capacity of the two merging companies was 2.06 million barrels per day, placing YUKOS-Sibneft fourth among the international energy majors.

PTI