FSIB, the headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions, is set to conduct interviews to select a suitable candidate for the position of State Bank of India (SBI) chairman.
The interviews, initially scheduled for last month, were unexpectedly postponed without disclosing any specific reason.
According to sources, three out of four serving managing directors of SBI are eligible to appear for the interview, which is now scheduled for June 29. The fourth MD, Alok Kumar Choudhary, is not eligible for the interview as he is retiring on June 30.
FSIB is expected to select a replacement for Dinesh Kumar Khara, who will be retiring on August 28 upon reaching the upper age limit of 63 for the position of SBI Chairman. As per convention, the chairman is appointed from a pool of serving managing directors of SBI. FSIB will recommend the name, and the final decision will be made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
FSIB is headed by Bhanu Pratap Sharma, former secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The members of the government-appointed selection panel are the Financial Services Secretary, the Department of Public Enterprises Secretary, and an RBI Deputy Governor.
Other members of the headhunter are Animesh Chauhan, former chairman and MD of the erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce, RBI’s ex-executive director Deepak Singhal, and Shailendra Bhandari, former MD of the erstwhile ING Vysya Bank.