Canadian subsurface engineering firm VZFOX plans to establish its India base in Bengaluru by the end of 2026, with an initial team of five employees, as it looks to tap opportunities in the country’s oil and gas sector.
The Calgary-based company is entering India through the Team Canada Trade Mission, with plans to gradually expand its local workforce as business opportunities develop. VZFOX will focus on building relationships with Indian oil and gas operators, engineering companies, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms, and project developers. “We don’t want to rush into India, hire a large team and then figure out what the market looks like,” said Vinay Kumar, executive director and senior adviser at VZFOX. The company plans to build a core team in India and expand it as its work with domestic energy companies grows, he said.
VZFOX’s India entry comes as the country seeks to strengthen domestic oil and gas production and reduce its dependence on imported crude. The company sees opportunities to bring Canadian expertise in reservoir engineering and mature-field management to Indian energy assets. Its planned India operations will focus on reservoir optimisation, mature-field redevelopment, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), improved oil recovery (IOR) and injection strategies. The company also intends to support carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and carbon-storage projects.
VZFOX said its India model would involve transferring technical expertise to domestic projects while developing Indian engineering talent that could also support the company’s international operations. “Our conversations with Indian oil and gas companies show that India has strong engineering capability. One of the opportunities we see is helping operators get more value from existing energy assets,” said Vick Saxon, managing partner and director at VZFOX.
The company plans to build a long-term presence in India rather than pursue a short-term market-entry strategy. It is focusing on establishing a limited number of relationships that can generate recurring technical assignments, rather than committing to a revenue target at this stage. VZFOX brings more than two decades of experience in subsurface, reservoir and injection engineering, with clients across North America and other markets. Its Bengaluru base is expected to serve as the starting point for its India operations, with further hiring dependent on the scale and pace of business development.