Primary Job Title Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors & Special Advisor Primary Organization The Carlyle Group
Location New York, New York, United States Regions Greater New York Area, East Coast, Northeastern US Gender Male Also Known As Dan / Daniel F. Akerson
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Daniel F. Akerson is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Special Advisor to Carlyle’s Board of Directors since March 2014. Daniel is also a Member of the firm's Management Committee. Daniel provides operational, investment and management guidance to Carlyle’s investment teams, firm management and the Board of Directors.
Prior to
returning to Carlyle in March 2014, Daniel was the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors Company. During his tenure, Daniel led the company through a successful IPO in November 2011, guided the firm to record 15 consecutive quarters of profitability, reinvested nearly $9 billion and created or retained more than 25,000 jobs at its U.S. plants. Daniel retired from GM in January 2014.
Daniel is a seasoned executive with extensive operating and management experience having served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer or President of several major companies, including The Carlyle Group, General Instrument, MCI, Nextel and XO Communications.
Prior to joining GM, Daniel was a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, serving as Head of Global Buyout from July 2009 to August 2010 and as Co-Head of U.S. Buyout from June 2003 to June 2009.
Before joining Carlyle, Daniel served in several key roles at MCI Communications and during his tenure, Daniel formulated and executed MCI’s global strategy. Daniel left MCI in to become a General Partner of private equity firm Forstmann Little & Company, during which time he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Company from 1993-1995. While at General Instrument he led a successful effort to develop and deploy the first digital video, satellite and cable systems domestically and internationally.
Following that, Daniel served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Nextel Communications, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of XO Communications, Inc.
In 2013, Daniel and his wife, Karin, were named Habitat for Humanity Michigan’s Sponsor of the Year and he was also named a Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News. In 2012, Daniel and Karin co-chaired the annual Capuchin Soup Kitchen dinner, raising a record sum and launched the Habitat for Humanity Leaders to Rebuild Detroit initiative with a cornerstone contribution. Daniel was also recognized with the Marine Corp Scholarship Foundation Leatherneck Award and with the U.S. Naval Academy Distinguished Graduate Award for his lifetime commitment to service, personal character and distinguished contributions to our nation. In 2011, Daniel was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by So Others Might Eat (SOME), which serves the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
Daniel earned his B.S., in Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and his M.Sc., in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Daniel is a Member of the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin Company since February 2014 and the United States Naval Academy Foundation.
