David Calhoun
GOING PRIVATE
Public companies, beware: private-equity firms are trolling for your top managers. General Electric became the latest prey in August, when VNU Media, a Dutch market-research firm, poached 27-year GE veteran David Calhoun for its top job. As takeovers become larger, private-equity firms increasingly value strong management, and Calhoun, 49, joins a growing line of execs defecting from their listed companies. They're lured away by private equity's promise of less scrutiny and big financial reward. Calhoun's new pay is rumored at around $100 million. It's a price tag for which VNU's owners--a group of private-equity firms, including...