Who will be Indian Oil Corp’s (IOC) next Director (Refineries)?

New Delhi: As interviews for the selection of Director (Refineries) of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) are set to open in a day's time, PSU Watch has learnt from sources that there are three candidates who are frontrunners for the post. Sources believe that the last lap of the race is likely to witness a neck-to-neck competition between three strong contenders — Partha Ghosh, Gopal Chandra Sikder and Sukla Mistry. All three candidates are currently serving as Executive Directors in Indian Oil Corporation. 

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Director (Refineries) post: Frontrunners

According to sources, while Ghosh, who is currently the Refinery Head of IOC's Haldia Refinery, is the strongest contender for the position of Director (Refineries) of Indian Oil, he may be overlooked because of the fact that he is supposed to superannuate next year. The next candidate in line is Sikder, who is the Refinery Head of Panipat Refinery. However, he comes with a tainted record as he has faced CBI enquiries in the past. Although he was granted a clean chit by the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) after an enquiry, however, "such things" cast a shadow of doubt over a candidate's record, sources said.

The third candidate, who is touted to be a great fit for the post and does not come with any of the above-mentioned shortcomings, is Mistry. She is currently serving as the Refinery Head of Barauni Refinery, has a clean record and is the only woman contender on the list, said sources.

Who else is on the list?

A document accessed by PSU Watch shows that there are a total of eight candidates on the list. Six are from within Indian Oil, including Ghosh, Sikder and Mistry, and one each from Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and disinvestment-bound Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). 

From IOC, there is Asis Kumar Maiti (Executive Director), Rajendra Kumar Jha (Chief General Manager) and Satya Prakash (Chief General Manager) on the list. In addition, MRPL's Managing Director M Venkatesh and BPCL's Ravitej V Pamaraju (Executive Director) are in the fray as well. 

The interviews are slated to take place on October 13. 

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