GE hands former CEO John Flannery US$10m exit package after 14-month stint

New York

GENERAL Electric Co's former chief executive officer, John Flannery, will collect an exit package worth more than US$10 million after his abrupt departure from the beleaguered manufacturer.

Mr Flannery will get US$4.25 million in severance, and vesting restrictions will be lifted on equity awards worth at least US$3.75 million that he was previously given, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

That comes on top of pension benefits worth at least US$21.9 million that the longtime GE executive can start collecting at age 60, plus about US$2.16 million in deferred compensation.

GE announced on Oct 1 that Mr Flannery, 57, would step down after a 14-month stint as CEO in which the company lost more than US$100 billion in market value amid one of the deepest slumps in its 126-year history.

The slide continued last week under Mr Flannery's successor, Larry Culp, as GE disclosed an expanded federal accounting probe and worsening troubles at its ailing power business.

"John Flannery dedicated 32 years of service to GE, and the arrangements reached with him, including his eligibility for the GE Supplementary Pension Plan, reflect that service," the Boston-based company said in an email. "The severance payment for Mr Flannery represents less than one year's combined salary and target cash bonus." BLOOMBERG