CALCUTTA, May 7: The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) will interview 15 candidates on May 9 to empanel names for the post of marketing director of Indian Oil Corporation, the only Indian company on the Fortune 500 list.

The post fell vacant in January this year when MA Pathan moved up to take over as chairman of the refining and marketing giant, which expects turnover to top Rs 50,000 crore in 1996-97. Personnel director Subodh Mittal has been holding the post as an additional charge.

The initial list had 16 candidates, but one of the main contenders has been selected as the chief of another public sector refiner. Sham Sundar, executive director of IOC's southern region, is out as he has been selected as chairman & managing director of Madras Refineries Ltd.

The post at Madras Refineries, a schedule C company, is equivalent to that of a director at IOC.

Of the 15 to be interviewed, nine are from IOC and the rest from Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). Among the IOC candidates, all executive directors, six are from the marketing division and three from the refineries and pipelines division.

The six ONGC candidates are group general managers or regional heads, posts equivalent to that of executive directors of IOC, a schedule A company. The six executive directors from marketing are Subir Raha, who is also head of the Oil Coordination Committee; ON Marwa from lubes, MS Ramchandran of marketing operations, P Sugavanam of finance, P Sundaram of lubes, and northern region head Prasanta Banerjee.

After the interviews, the PESB shortlist will go to the petroleum and natural gas ministry. Then the names will have to be cleared by the chief vigilance commissioner and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

After further clearance from the home ministry, the prime minister's office will pick the final candidate.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.