GAIL, OVL chiefs in race for ONGC top post; interviews on August 30

NEW DELHI: Gas utility GAIL India head B C Tripathi and ONGC Videsh Managing Director D K Sarraf are among over half-a-dozen candidates called for interviews for the top job at ONGC, on August 30.


Government headhunters Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) will hold interviews on August 30 for selecting the successor to Sudhir Vasudeva who retires as Chairman and Managing Director of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) on February 28 next year, official sources said.

While Tripathi and Sarraf are considered top contenders, ONGC Director (Exploration) Narendra Kumar Verma, 54, could be a dark horse in the race for the top job at India's most profitable company.

Sources said PESB recommendation will go to the Oil Ministry which will, after taking clearance from anti-corruption watchdog CVC, will forward the name to the Cabinet Committee on Appointments (ACC) for ratification.

Sarraf, 55, is the senior most candidate having been at the helms of ONGC's highly successful overseas arm since September 2011. Prior to that, he was Director ( Finance) of ONGC since December 27, 2007 and Director (Finance) of OVL from February 2005.

Tripathi, who was the youngest Chairman of a Navaratna PSU at the age of 49 years, took over as head of the nation's biggest natural gas distributor GAIL on August 1, 2009, is considered a favourite.

Others who have applied include ONGC Director (T&FS) Shashi Shanker, OVL Director (Finance) S P Garg and Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd (CPCL) Director (Operations) S Venkataramana.

Central Coalfields Ltd Chairman Gopal Singh, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Director General Omkar Rai and Coal India Ltd Director (Personnel & Industrial Relations) R Mohan Das too have applied.

Sources said PESB is likely to prepare a shortlist for the interview by first half of August.

Tripathi's 5-year term at GAIL will end on July 31, 2014 and though he will be eligible for an extension till he attains superannuation age of 60 years in January 2020, there is no clear cut policy on giving extensions at the top.

Sources said that among the internal candidates, Shashi Shankar is relatively new to the board having been appointed as a Director only in December last year.

Though Verma has been on ONGC board only since April, he is considered a person with leadership qualities besides being technically sound. He was Director (Exploration) at OVL for 15 months before coming to ONGC.