Dealer.com Reconstitutes Board, Adds Apax Execs
Internet marketing solutions company Dealer.com announced Tuesday it has added two new members to the company’s board of directors, both of which come from Apax Partners, an investment company that recently acquired an approximately 30 percent stake in Dealer.com from Yellow Media Inc.
As Yellow Media’s Marc Tellier, Doug Clarke and Normand Theberge leave the board, Mitch Truwit and Marcelo Gigliani, of Apax Partners, will be joining, as part of the transfer in ownership.
“We welcome Mitch and Marcelo to the board and view their appointment as the first step of a long and successful relationship with Apax Partners. Their vast experience and knowledge, especially of digital companies, will be invaluable to Dealer.com as the company embarks upon the next stage of its growth,” said Mark Bonfigli, chief executive officer of Dealer.com.
“At the same time, we want to thank Marc, Doug and Normand for their guidance and contributions to Dealer.com, and wish them success,” he continued.
Moving on to highlight the two new members of the board and their accomplishments, officials noted that Truwit is a partner at Apax Partners and co-head of its financial and business services team.
Before joining Apax Partners in 2006, Truwit was the president and CEO of Orbitz Worldwide and also served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of priceline.com between 2001 and 2005.
He also serves as a board member of Bankrate Inc., Hub International, Advantage Sales & Marketing and Trader Corp., as well as Dealer.com.
“All of us at Apax Partners are very excited to become a part of the success of Dealer.com,” said Truwit.
“Dealer.com has continued to strengthen its leadership position in this important sector thanks to its culture of innovation. We believe that Dealer.com will continue to grow and produce industry-leading products in the coming years,” he further stressed.
Continuing on, Gigliani is a partner in the media team at Apax Partners and joined the company in 1999. Since then, he has led and participated in a number of key investments across the media, technology, business services and health care sectors throughout North America and Europe, including Trader.com, Dealer.com, ALM, Cengage Learning, Wisdom Entertainment, Capio, Electro-Stocks, rue21, eDreams and Fractus, noted company officials.
In addition to joining the Dealer.com board, Gigliani is currently a director on the boards of Trader Corp., Cengage Learning and ALM.
Before joining Apax Partners, Gigliani was a consultant for Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), where he advised European media and communications companies.
Lastly, highlighting Dealer.com’s recent growth, company officials noted that in the last several years, the company has seen rapid acceleration in sales, customers and product introductions.
Revenues reached $85 million in 2010, an increase of over 60 percent from 2009 and more than triple the 2008 level, and “the company increased research and development spending more than 100 percent, while adding key client relationships to its portfolio,” the company concluded.