The Corporate Profiles: Globalizing Businesses With Data Driven Strategies

With a consumption of 199.21 MMT of petroleum products during April 2024 to January 2025, India stands as the third-largest consumer of oil globally. At the same time, India is a significant exporter of petroleum products, with exports reaching 62.4 MMT in FY24. With the oil and gas sector trying to cope with rapid technological shifts accompanied by evolving regulatory landscape, the role of consultants is now more pivotal than ever, to stay abreast with the market demands. At the heart of this transformation, The Corporate Profiles has not only catered to the sector's demands but also shaped them for good.

Over the span of nearly four decades, the company has become a go-to advisory in a volatile industry due to its data stewardship, and unwavering client focus. “Geopolitical complexities and shifting climate mandate have been a constant. Nevertheless, discoveries of new wells and technologies continue to redefine both upstream and downstream dynamics”, explains Neeraj Bhatnagar, Founder, The Corporate Profiles. Amidst the ever-increasing pressure to adopt cleaner energy and connectivity, consulting firms like The Corporate Profiles have stood as pivot partners, bridging data, feasibility, and future readiness.

Building a Legacy from the Ground Up
Established in 1996, The Corporate Profiles was one of the earliest players to offer specialized consulting in downstream oil and gas. The company’s journey began with the landmark Delhi project for IGL, setting a precedent for a series of impactful assignments across India. As the gas sector gained traction between 2006 and 2010, this consulting firm expanded into promising markets like Lucknow, Pune, and Hyderabad. The firm laid its foundation on demand assessment and project feasibility. “With consulting roots dating back to 1986, our prior experience played a crucial role in establishing credibility and capability”, remarks Neeraj.

In an industry where precision and foresight are paramount, The Corporate Profiles’ data-first approach has become its hallmark. The most important part in the oil and gas sector is data, and the accuracy of that data. Over the years, the firm has assisted some of the world’s top 15 Fortune Global 500 companies, consistently delivering reliable insights for high-stakes decision making. With a proprietary library established long before the internet era and the regular global conference participation, the team stays ahead of trends and regulatory shifts.

Compliance, Consistency, & Client-First Thinking
Navigating regulatory compliance in the oil and gas sector is nothing short of a maze in itself. The Corporate Profiles assists clients by provisioning them with accurate, audit-ready data that aligns with evolving frameworks laid out by key bodies like the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Neeraj believes a firm is only as good as its deliverables. The only repeated customers a firm earns are the ones that trust their provider’s data. Flexibility, long-term vision, and a deliberate avoidance of short-term monetization strategies have earned the firm repeat business across the board.

In a volatile energy market, trust remains the most valuable currency. Neeraj affirms that the company never looked at competition, instead always focused on the client’s need, thereby converting challenges into opportunities for the last 39 years.

Although the company has not fully transitioned into digital yet, they are actively working on integrating AI-based demand forecasting. Besides, the firm has already employed tools like GIS upon client request. While digital tools help, this consulting firm always starts on the field. Neeraj informs that the clients value real-world insight more than anything.

Among its several distinctions, The Corporate Profiles claims to be the only company to have conducted energy demand assessments across all 307 geographical areas in India. The company is equipped to provide energy footprints by district, city, or state, within a day. This unparalleled database has become a strategic asset, enabling the firm to offer swift, evidence-based insights.

A Personal Mission - Industrialization & Impact
Looking forward, Neeraj sees consolidation as a major trend, with India’s current 25–30 players likely narrowing to six or seven dominant entities. Neeraj’s venture is positioning itself to advise on mergers, acquisitions, and regional expansions with its technical and statistical expertise. The company is witnessing parallel stories unfold across Africa and Latin America, similar to India's development since 1999. With the rise in industrialisation, energy transportation, and the consequent need for CNG stations, this consulting firm is prepped to cater to the entire array of transformation.

In fact, Neeraj’s story itself is indivisibly tied to India’s economic rise. Neeraj, a mechanical engineer, launched the company without poaching clients from his previous employers. Most of the firm’s revenue was from overseas. His consulting firm helped foreign organizations with demand assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic guidance to set up in India.

One of the proudest milestones for the company was to secure approval from IDBI in 1988, a prerequisite for project consulting during that era. Since then, The Corporate Profiles has worked on over 150 projects for Japanese clients alone, while also conducting anti-dumping studies in Mexico, China, and the U.S. “I was there when India entered industrialization and when demarcations for energy footprint started happening. I feel proud for our contribution to decarbonization in India”, says Neeraj. The company boasts of having calculated the energy footprint for every project set up in India, and evidently so, there is backup to that claim, which keeps the firm standing tall and proud after 39 years.