Bankers to replace ministers at Russian majors-paper

* Bankers, professional directors may replace ministers

* Morgan Stanley banker nominated for Sechin's Rosneft seat

MOSCOW, April 5 (Reuters) - Russia is looking to private sector bankers and professional directors to replace ministers in top state company boards as part of a shake-up ordered by President Dmitry Medvedev, Kommersant reported on Tuesday.

Medvedev has given Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a July 1 deadline to "initiate" the removal of top ministers, including powerful Putin deputy Igor Sechin, from company boards in a move that has stoked speculation the president may be challenging his mentor ahead of the 2012 presidential election. [ID:nLDE73107S]

Kommersant, citing sources, published a list of candidates discussed by the government and the Kremlin as possible replacements for the ministers. After the shake up, the votes of a quarter of directors at state companies will not be directed by formal government orders, it said.

Sechin's chairmanship of Russia's top oil company Rosneft (ROSN.MM) could be taken over by Rair Simonyan, non-executive chairman at Morgan Stanley, or by Vladislav Martynov, CIS managing director at SAP, according to Kommersant's list.

Contenders to replace Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin at the board of No. 2 Russian bank VTB (VTBR.MM) are vice president of the MICEX exchange Vladimir Gusakov, independent expert Kirill Androsov and Microsoft Russia president Nikolay Pryanishnikov.

The Kremlin's on Saturday announced 17 companies where officials have to give up seats. [ID:nLDE7310AI]

But according to Kommersant, five more firms could be affected, including oil pipeline monopoly Transneft (TRNF_p.MM), whose board includes Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, and the operator of Moscow's All-Russian Exhibition Centre (VVTs) where First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov serves.

Putin and Medevedev have said they will decide together which of them will run for president next March. Analysts give conflicting views over how serious a perceived split between them is. [ID:nLDE72U07U] (Writing by Toni Vorobyova; Editing by Mike Nesbit)