Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has appointed former private equity executive Paul J. Liska as its new CFO. He takes over from acting CFO Tom Meredith (NYSE: MDP) on March 1. In the last two years, Liska has served as an industrial partner for several VC firms, including MidOcean Partners, CVC Capital Holdings and Ripplewood Holdings. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Liska served as executive chairman of US Freightways. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Liska held several positions with Sears, Roebuck and Co., including president of credit and financial products and executive vice president and chief financial officer (release).

Liska’s hiring comes just weeks after Motorola announced it would either sell or spin off its struggling handset unit. No buyer has of yet stepped forward, and on Thursday, LG (SEO: 066570) told Reuters it saw its American rival’s weakness as its gain. LG Nam Yong said, “Yes, we’ll increase our market share sharply.”