Having completed his Masters in Social Work, he joined IOC in the year 1982 at its refineries headquarters in Delhi.
"He has a comprehensive work experience, spanning over three decades across IOC's refinery units, divisional headquarters and R&D centre," the company said in a statement.
Prior to his elevation, Cherian headed the apex training centre of the organisation, IndianOil Institute of Petroleum Management (IiPM) at Gurgaon.