IndianOil chief interviews by late-December

Hopefuls for the IndianOil chairman position will most likely have to wait another month until late December before the PESB is ready to conduct interviews.

"At present all PESB dates are blocked for other interviews," reports an IndianOil source. "After the current list of interviews is completed, only then will the PESB go ahead with the IndianOil chairman interviews."

To conduct interviews, the PESB must have a minimum four members on the interview panel. "Around mid-December the PESB is likely to get a new member," adds our source.

"Only once the new member comes in can it go ahead with further interviews." Among those who applied by the August 21 deadline are director finance Sandeep Gupta; director refineries SM Vaidya; director human resources Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra; director Research and Development SSV Ramakumar; executive director Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Rahul Bhardwaj as well as executive directors DL Pramodh, UP Singh and Subimal Mondal.

Six of them will be shortlisted for interview based on their experience and position held. Whoever wins will replace current chairman Sanjiv Singh who retires on July 1 (2020) and be thrust head-first into deliberations about IndianOil's possible acquisition of BPCL and/or parts of GAIL.