IndianOil Chmn. eligibility criteria tightened
After receiving 60 applications, a search committee for the IndianOil chairman role will now decide who is eligible.
This report learns the search committee will meet on August 8 (2024) after the oil ministry received applications on July 3 (2024) to replace SM Vaidya, who finally retires in August 2024. "The main aim for the meeting is to decide whether to deviate from the original eligibility criteria," says a source.
"If they decide to deviate from the original criteria, they must decide which criteria to deviate from - age or experience." On July 31 (2024), PESB undersecretary Mohammad Jainuddin released a memo saying the "PESB has agreed to hold the meeting of the search and selection committee for IndianOil chairman on August 8 (2024) at 9am-11am through video conferencing."
Jainuddin has directed the oil ministry to send out a videoconferencing link and prepare the agenda. "Of the 60 applicants, 26 are genuine," adds our source.
"Applicants will be shortlisted for interviews based on the criteria deviations that the search committee finalises; most applicants are currently not eligible on age or experience criteria." Many tried their luck based on a line in the vacancy notice saying eligibility criteria can be relaxed.
Under the current criteria, HR candidates are ineligible. That would rule out IndianOil director Rashmi Govil, GAIL director Ayush Gupta, and ONGC director Manish Patil, who all applied.
"If this criteria (HR experience) is relaxed, Govil could be a frontrunner," we hear. Similarly, the maximum age limit set in the vacancy is 58 for IndianOil candidates and 57 for others.
Among the IndianOil candidates who will benefit if the age limit is relaxed are the director planning and business development, Sujoy Choudhury, who retires this month (August 2024); director marketing, Satish Vaduguri, who retires in July 2025; director pipelines N Senthil Kumar, who retires in June 2025 and director R&D Alok Sharma, who retires in March 2026.