Dave Habiger
David Habiger (born February 19, 1969) is an American businessman and entrepreneur, currently serving as president and CEO of J.D. Power. Biography. Early life. Habiger was born in Joliet, Illinois. His father was a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur. In the late 1970s, his mother was engaged in the computer revolution and introduced Dave to technology at an early age. He received a bachelor's degree from St. Norbert College and began producing documentaries after graduation. In 1991, he founded Providence Productions, which focused on funding, producing, and distributing documentaries. In 1997, he received his MBA from the University  of Chicago. Career. He began working with the ex-Lucasfilm team and founding members of Sonic Solutions in 1992, where he served as president and chief executive officer. Under his leadership, Sonic became one of the largest global providers of premium movies and TV shows via the internet and consumer electronic devices. He emphasizes engineering excellence and empowering the engineers in an organization. Since its IPO, the company has been named one of Forbes, Fortune, and Businessweek’s fastest growing companies on multiple occasions. Habiger opened the NASDAQ market in 2008 and 2010. In 2011, he sold Sonic to Rovi  Corporation. He was appointed as NDS chief executive officer in July 2011. Shortly after filing with the SEC for its NYSE-listed IPO, Habiger announced the sale of NDS to Cisco for $5 billion; the sale was closed in the second half of 2012. Habiger is founder and partner at Silicon Media Partners. Habiger has been a pioneer in modern electric cars since the early 2000s when he co-founded an EV start-up focused on the conversion of ICE vehicles to fully electric. He was Chairman for the Electric Vehicle Commission under Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration  and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2008, he was chosen as one of Corporate Leader Magazine's 40 under 40 business leaders. "The Hollywood Reporter" chose him as one of 2010s Digital Power 50. Between March 2009 and March 2011 he oversaw a 2388% increase in Sonic's market capitalization as the company reinvented its core business, winning an Emmy Award for "technical contributions to the film and television industry." He sold Sonic to Rovi Corporation in early 2011 at a 66% premium – slightly under  $1 billion after stock adjustments to the deal. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, as well as a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and for the Center for Corporate Innovation. Beginning in 2012, he also served as a board member and then as CEO of Textura Corp. until its June 2016 sale to Oracle. He is a Member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers. He has served as a director on 12 public company boards with committee roles as Chairman of the  Board, Chairman of Audit, Chairman of Nominating/Government, and Chairman of Compensation for both NASDAQ and NYSE-listed companies. He serves as a director on the Chicago Federal Reserve Board. He is on the SABOR (Systems Activities, Bank Operations, and Risk) Committee and the Governance & HR Committee for the Federal Reserve. He also serves on the board of directors for the Automotive Hall of Fame. He was named president and CEO of J.D. Power on March 21, 2018, with the objective of continuing to aggressively build and enhance the company's data and analytics and customer insights leadership. In 2019 , he hosted a discussion with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak at the Auto Revolution 2019 event, where Wozniak – an avid proponent for self-driving vehicles – explained that true "Level 5" autonomy, in which cars are completely self-driving, is still a long way from mainstream commercialization. Habiger was recognized as an "Automotive News" All-Star in 2021 for his leadership in the automotive industry. Personal life He holds dual citizenship in both the United States and the European Union, Ireland. He is married with two children. In 2016, Habiger delivered the commencement address at St. Norbert College. Philanthropy. Habiger sits  on the advisory boards for the Heroic Imagination Project, the University of Chicago, and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, which provides entrepreneurial education to young people from low-income communities. He is a member of the board of trustees at Rush University Medical Center.