3-20-2017 -- The Board of Directors of DEI Holdings, Inc., parent Company to Directed, has announced the appointment of Robert J. Struble as CEO of Directed, effective immediately.

Struble brings his extensive background and success in consumer electronics to Directed. Most recently the CEO and Founder of iBiquity Digital, Struble is a pioneering and respected consumer technology leader.

Jim Minarik, Chairman of DEI Holdings’ Board, said, “I have known Bob for nearly twenty years and am very excited to welcome him as Directed’s new CEO.  Bob’s success at building iBiquity and HD Radio technology from its infancy to mainstream adoption and an ultimate sale of the business speaks volumes about his tremendous talent and abilities. We look forward to having Bob lead and grow Directed’s industry-leading vehicle security and remote start business, our connected car business with Viper SmartStart and other products, our Usage Based Insurance (UBI) business, as well as develop other exciting new products and services for emerging mobile markets.” 

Struble's appointment was the culmination of an extensive national search by DEI. Struble will sit on and report directly to the DEI Board and will be based at the Company’s Vista, California, headquarters. He will lead a team of over two hundred associates in the United States and Canada. 

“I’m honored to take on the leadership of Directed and carry on the incredible legacy built by Jim Minarik and Darrell Issa before him,” said Struble. “Directed has some of the most respected brands and leading technology in automotive electronics. The opportunity to take these great businesses forward and add additional growth drivers was incredibly attractive. The broader connected car space is exploding, and Directed will be a major participant. I’m also thrilled to be working closely with Kevin Duffy and his great team at Sound United under the broader DEI umbrella.”

Prior to leading iBiquity, Bob managed several technology businesses at Westinghouse and was a strategy consultant at McKinsey and Company. He earned his BS in Engineering from MIT and his MBA at the Harvard Business School.