Elisabeth Murdoch, founder of independent production company Shine Entertainment, is one of a number of candidates who have been approached by head hunters Russell Reynolds looking for a successor to executive chairman Michael Grade.
According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, her understanding of international media and her entrepreneurial skills made her an obvious candidate for the long list.
With her connections to the Murdoch empire and BSkyB, which holds a 17.9% stake in ITV, will surprise many.
It was her brother James Murdoch who bought the stake in ITV which derailed its merger with Virgin Media.
BSkyB is fighting tooth and nail to hang onto the stake, which regulators and ITV want it to reduce.
A sale of the company is highly unlikely while BSkyB remains a shareholder with such a significant minority stake.
Still thought to be leading the list of candidates is Tony Ball, the former BSkyB chief executive, who was recently appointed to the board of BT. There are, however, fears from some in the industry that Ball would strip ITV for a quick sale.
Other candidates for Grade's role include BBC Worldwide's John Smith and NBC Universal's Peter Smith.
Internal candidates include chief operating officer John Cresswell and Rupert Howell, ITV's managing director of brand and commercial.
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