The head of global buyouts at The Carlyle Group is moving from private equity to a much more public role at the helm of General Motors, where his experience of reworking company business models will be put to the test ahead of the car maker's return to the public markets.

GM said on its results call yesterday that Daniel Akerson, 61, will succeed Edward Whitacre as chief executive at the beginning of next month. Akerson is a managing director of Carlyle, head of its global buyout business and a member of its executive committee, according to the firm's website.