Some of the UK’s most prominent and respected mergers and acquisitions bankers are expected to be contacted in the coming days as the Takeover Panel begins a fresh search for a permanent director general after Lazard’s Peter Kiernan withdrew his candidacy yesterday.

Names including Simon Dingemans at Goldman Sachs, Sebastian Grigg at Credit Suisse, Liam Beere at UBS, Simon Robey at Morgan Stanley, Henry Someset, formerly at Dresdner Kleinwort and Jitesh Gadhia, formerly of Barclays Capital have been suggested by bankers and headhunters as attractive prospective candidates for the post. None could immediately be reached for comment.