David Calhoun, the chief executive of Nielsen Holdings, is to join Blackstone as a senior managing director and head of private equity portfolio operations.
Calhoun (pictured) will oversee a team of 21 professionals within the portfolio operations group which partners with portfolio company chief executives to drive key value creation initiatives throughout our companies.
Calhoun will work within Blackstone’s private equity business reporting to the global head of private equity, Joseph Baratta, and will also be involved with important strategic initiatives of the firm as a member of Blackstone’s management and executive committees. Calhoun brings to Blackstone more than 30 years of public company leadership and global operational experience.
Calhoun joined Nielsen in 2006, shortly after the company was acquired by a consortium of private equity investors including Blackstone. Under his leadership, Nielsen’s operating income improved from USD0.8bn at the time of the acquisition to USD1.7bn in 2012 with a compound annual growth rate of 13 per cent. He serves on the board of Nielsen and will become executive chairman in January 2014. He also sits on the boards of directors of The Boeing Company and Caterpillar.
Before joining Nielsen, Calhoun served as vice chairman of The General Electric Company and president and chief executive officer of GE Infrastructure, the company’s largest business unit.
Stephen A Schwarzman, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, says: “We are delighted to be able to work more closely with Dave Calhoun, as he joins our team at Blackstone. He is one of the most talented CEOs we have ever worked with. We are excited to have him help guide our portfolio company operations as well as the strategic development of Blackstone itself.”
Calhoun says: “I am thrilled to be joining Blackstone. They are a recognised leader in the private equity industry and they have been an important contributor to The Nielsen Company’s success. I look forward to working with our portfolio company CEOs in every way I know how to build better companies and create added value for our fund investors.”
