Varanasi, Kannan lead race for NSE top post

Mumbai: National Stock Exchange has narrowed its list of candidates for the post of CEO of the bourse. Of the 100 applications it received, the exchange's four-member selection committee has interviewed about 10 contenders. NSE's senior executive Ravi Varanasi, IAS officer Sanjeev Kaushik and former BSE CEO Madhu Kannan are seen as front-runners for the top position.

Over the last couple of weeks, the panel has met Leo Puri, MD, UTI Mutual Fund, Vikram Limaye, MD of IDFC, Sanjeev Kaushik, DMD at IFCI and Vimal Bhandari CEO of Indostar Capital, apart from Varanasi and Kannan, said three people familiar with the development.

Speculation is rife that BSE's CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan could be a contender though he has not formally applied. This has not been disclosed in BSE's recent IPO document. Calls and text messages to Puri and Vara nasi did not elicit any response.Kannan, Limaye and Kaushik couldn't be reached for comment.Bhandari, recently , had told ET, “I'm happy where I am.“ The Supreme Court on Monday named Limaye as one of the administrators of Board of Control for Cricket in India.The shortlisted candidates have been informed to come back with their decision to the panel at the earliest, said a person in the know.