Top job at NSE: At least 90 have applied for the MD & CEO post at bourse

NSE had issued an advertisement on Dec 20 for applications

As many as 80-90 people have applied for the job of managing director-cum-chief executive officer at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the country's largest bourse. Most of them are non-financial market professionals, say sources.

NSE had issued an advertisement on December 20 for applications; the final day for doing so was today.

Egon Zehnder, a personnel selection and board consultancy, has been hired to help with the process. It will screen and shortlist the applications, to a four-member selection panel set up by NSE.

The identity of those who applied could not be ascertained. There are rumours that Ashish Chauhan, chief executive at rival bourse BSE, is also in the reckoning for the post. However, the sources said Chauhan had not formally applied.

The selection committee comprises two public interest directors at NSE, Dinesh Kanabar and Mohandas Pai, and two independent experts, Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, and Usha Thorat, former deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India.

The committee has been given two months to find a replacement for Chitra Ramkrishna, who resigned as MD & CEO on December 2. The exchange is expected to sent the selected name by end-February to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), for approval.

Sources said the selection committee and Egon Zehnder had been is to find someone able to deal with all stakeholders -- Sebi, finance ministry, broking community, investors and others.

"The person has to be of high calibre and integrity and should be able to take everybody along," said someone involved in the hiring.