Going Private

摘要

Ask J. Crew group Inc. chairman and chief executive Millard S. "Mickey" Drexler what if s like to run a public company, and he curls his fingers into the shape of a pistol. "You have a gun to your head," he says. Drexler knows of what he speaks. He spent four years running AnnTaylor Stores Corp. and seven years as CEO of Gap Inc., where he gained his reputation as a turnaround artist before being ousted in 2002. Drexler, 61, could be enjoying an uncommonly comfortable retirement right now. Instead he's working harder than ever, trying to revitalize the fashionable clothier. He loves the challenge of transforming companies, and retailing is in his blood. But the best part about the new gig is that he doesn't have to answer to public shareholders every step of the way.