Chief Executive of Russian oil producer OAO Surgutneftegaz (SNGS.RS) Vladimir Bogdanov isn't included in a preliminary list of candidates to state-controlled OAO Rosneft's (ROSN.RS) board of directors, the Vedomosti daily reported Wednesday citing an unnamed source.
Bogdanov was elected to Rosneft's board last year, which ignited speculation of possible merger between the two companies.
Surgutneftegaz, a secretive Siberian oil company, is Russia's fourth biggest oil producer with an alleged cash pile of around $20 billion.