(Reuters) - HSBC Holdings Plc <HSBA.L> has interviewed outgoing Royal Bank of Scotland <RBS.L> Chief Finance Officer Ewen Stevenson to replace HSBC Finance Director Iain Mackay, The Times newspaper reported on Thursday.
HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker has spoken to several candidates in recent weeks with Stevenson among the favourites to succeed Mackay, the report added. http://bit.ly/2sfWoPt
RBS and HSBC did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.
Stevenson, a former investment banker, quit unexpectedly in a surprise exit from RBS on Wednesday, casting doubt on the timing of a possible sale of some of the British government's controlling stake in the bank.
Having joined RBS in May 2014 after 25 years at Credit Suisse Group AG <CSGN.S>, Stevenson has led turnaround efforts with the bank's Chief Executive Ross McEwan, who arrived six months earlier.
In February, Stuart Gulliver stepped down as HSBC CEO after the bank reported a smaller-than-expected rise in annual profits and unveiled plans to raise up to $7 billion (£5.2 billion) to bolster its capital.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Diane Craft)
