GSK's Garnier to join Dubai equity firm

Wondering what Jean-Pierre Garnier will do with his free time when he steps down as GlaxoSmithKline's head honcho in May? Wonder no more. The CEO was just appointed to the advisory board of Dubai International Capital's global strategic equities fund, which buys stock in public companies.

Garnier will be in good company. The former heads of Sony and BMW were also tapped as advisors to the firm, which is owned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The men will be charged with identifying investment targets and helping to bring in new deals.

It's not an earth-shatteringly novel move, joining a private equity firm after checking out of a CEO suite. But where top execs once hooked up with Western firms like Carlyle, now, Asian and Middle Eastern groups are attracting top talent.

- see the release from Dubai International Capital
- read this Financial Times article