MCX new CEO gets over Rs 3 cr salary

Amount more than double the remuneration paid to his predecessor Shreekant Javalgekar

As leading commodity exchange MCX seeks to reinvent itself away from shadows of its founder Jignesh Shah-led FT group, its new CEO Manoj Vaish will get an annual remuneration of over Rs 3 crore.

While the bourse, the first and the only listed one in India, sees its profits plummet to a record low level since listing, Vaish has been appointed with a gross pay package of about Rs 3.25 crore, according to exchange documents.

This amount is more than double the remuneration paid to his predecessor Shreekant Javalgekar at Rs 1.4 crore for 2012-13, as mentioned in the exchange's latest annual report.

Vaish has been appointed Managing Director and CEO of MCX for a period of three years with effect from February 1, 2014, pursuant to a regulatory driven process to restructure the board and top management structure of the exchange.

Javalgekar was appointed as MD and CEO for three years effective July 1, 2012, but his tenure was cut short after a major payment crisis erupted at National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL), which was also founded by the same promoters, in August last year.

Consequently, all nominees of erstwhile promoter FTIL group, including Javalgekar and the group chairman Jignesh Shah, resigned from the board of MCX, while the commodity market regulator FMC declared in December last year that FTIL was no more a 'fit and proper' entity to hold 2 per cent or more stake in the exchange.

Recently, MCX board had also decided that FTIL's voting rights would be capped at two per cent stake despite it continuing to hold 26 per cent stake. The exchange's original promoters have challenged this decision.

While MCX trading volumes have begun to pick up after some weakness in the aftermath of NSEL crisis, the exchange last week reported a 71 per cent plunge in its third quarter net profit to Rs 21.84 crore for the three-month period ended December 31, 2013.

This is the lowest quarterly profit for the exchange ever since it got listed in the market in March, 2012 and began making public its financial results.

While announcing results, Vaish said that his focus would be on nurturing the exchanges's strengths and transform it into a "professional and compliance-driven" organisation.