Eni top spot in play as Italy prepares to shake up state firms

By Stephen Jewkes MILAN (Reuters) – The government of Matteo Renzi is looking to wipe the slate clean and seek new names at Italy's main state-controlled groups including oil major Eni as top management comes up for renewal, government, political and industry sources said. New center-left Prime Minister Renzi, nicknamed 'Demolition Man' for his campaigning for generational change in Italy, came to power in February promising to shake up the country's cozy elites and breathe fresh air into an ageing establishment. The 39-year-old Renzi has kept his cards close to his chest on the names that will be proposed as early as this weekend to replace top executives at the likes of Eni, utility Enel and defense group Finmeccanica. One government source told Reuters the positions of Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni and Enel's boss Fulvio Conti, both veterans in the energy sector, looked particularly shaky while political sources said Renzi was looking for new faces.