J.D. Power CEO Finbarr O'Neill Announces Retirement

COSTA MESA, Calif., Oct. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- J.D. Power, the global leader in consumer data & analytics and advisory services, announced today that Finbarr O'Neill, Chief Executive Officer and President, has informed the company's board of directors of his intention to retire from J.D. Power, effective March 2018.

J.D. Power's board has commenced a search to identify a successor for Mr. O'Neill. O'Neill, 65, will remain with the company during the transition process as the new CEO assumes the role, and after the transition, Mr. O'Neill will act as a Senior Advisor to the company.

"We are deeply grateful to Fin for his leadership of J.D. Power.  During his tenure, the firm has expanded globally and increased its sector expertise, while maintaining the firm's core brand values of independence and integrity," said Joseph Pacini, Chief Executive Officer of XIO Group.  "Over the last year alone, Fin has directed the firm to record profitability, the company has strategically entered the B2C market while also enhancing its 'big data' capabilities for an increasingly digital world."

In his 10 years with J.D. Power, Mr. O'Neill led the firm during a period of tremendous expansion.  Additionally, he oversaw the dramatic expansion into data & analytics, the digitization of the platform as well as entrance into the B2C market through the successful acquisition of National Appraisal Guides (NAG).  Previously, he served as CEO of Hyundai Motor America, Mitsubishi North America and Reynolds & Reynolds.

"In an increasingly mobile and connected world, J.D. Power is poised for even greater growth," said O'Neill. "This is a good time for me to hand off to the next generation of leadership. None of the success that we have enjoyed would have been possible without the support and leadership of all the great people across J.D. Power."

"Fin has positioned the company for a great future through further digitalization, the acquisition of NAG and top appointments including J.D. Power's new Chief Digital Officer, Bernardo Rodriguez,  Senior VP of Automotive Doug Betts and Senior VP of Data & Analytics Thomas King." said Carsten Geyer, Partner and Head of Europe of XIO Group.  "Under Fin's leadership, J.D. Power has remained true to its motto as the 'voice of the consumer' and the best provider of data driven insights and solutions for companies and consumers across a multitude of industries." 

J.D. Power was acquired in September 2016 by XIO Group, a London-headquartered private equity firm, and over the past year O'Neill has successfully led the transition from S&P Global (formerly McGraw Hill Financial) to XIO Group ownership.

Executive search firm Egon Zehnder is partnering with the company in the CEO search.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. Those capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. J.D. Power is a portfolio company of XIO Group.

XIO Group is a global alternative investments firm headquartered in London with more than $3.2 billion of committed capital that employs an international team of more than 70 professionals. Representing more than 15 nationalities among its employees and its network of advisors, the firm has operations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong and mainland China. With a seasoned international investment team that includes professionals with experience working at many of the world's leading private equity firms, XIO Group seeks to deploy its capital for global transactions. XIO Group's strategy is to identify and invest in market-leading businesses located across North America and Europe and help these companies to capitalize on untapped opportunities in fast growing markets, particularly in Asia. XIO Group is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer.  For more information, visit: www.xiogroup.com.

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SOURCE J.D. Power

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