Reliance Industries (RIL) exploration & production head legal, Naveen Raju, has joined Mahindra & Mahindra as its new group general counsel (GC).

Raju will be overseeing an existing legal team of 24, reporting directly to Mahindra’s executive vice president and managing partner of the Mahindra Partners Division.

Raju confirmed his joining Mahindra but declined to comment further.

Nirmala Gill was his predecessor in the role at Mahindra.

Raju graduated from NLSIU Bangalore in 1996 and worked in-house at ACC and Crompton Greaves until 2000, when he joined Reliance, where he climbed to head legal rank, reporting to the group GC.

Reliance’s exploration and production unit includes much of the conglomerate’s petroleum and refining business, including the KG-D6 basin, which saw a $20bn joint venture with BP in 2011.