In a recent development, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) announced that it did not find any suitable candidate for the position of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). This decision came after a rigorous interview-cum-selection meeting held on Friday, where eight candidates were considered.
Among the candidates interviewed by the PESB Selection Panel, there was representation from various prominent public sector enterprises. This included one candidate each from HPCL, Indian Oil, GAIL (India) Limited, and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL).
In a notification issued on Tuesday, the PESB stated, “The Board did not recommend any candidate for the post of CMD, HPCL and advised the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to choose an appropriate course of further action for selection including the Search-Cum-Selection Committee (SCSC) or as deemed appropriate with the approval of the competent authority.”
The CMD post at HPCL is set to become vacant on September 1, 2024, with the current CMD, Pushp Kumar Joshi, serving until then. The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will now need to consider alternative methods to fill this key leadership role, which is crucial for guiding one of India’s major oil refining and marketing companies.
