Doug Lebda, the chief govt and chairman of LendingTree, died in “an all-terrain car accident” on his household farm in North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 12, the corporate confirmed.
“Doug was a visionary chief whose relentless drive, innovation and keenness reworked the monetary providers panorama, touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of customers,” LendingTree’s board of administrators mentioned in an announcement on Monday, Oct. 13.
Lebda, who was 55 years previous in accordance with the Wall Avenue Journal, based the corporate, a market for mortgages and different monetary devices, in 1996 after “experiencing the frustrations and complexities of getting his first mortgage,” in accordance with his biography on the corporate’s web site.
LendingTree launched in 1998 and went public in 2000. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based agency was subsequently offered to IAC/InterActiveCorp in 2003 earlier than being spun off into an unbiased firm in 2008. Lebeda served as IAC’s President and Chief Working Officer following the sale earlier than returning to LendingTree within the spinoff.
“His ardour will proceed to encourage us as we transfer ahead collectively. We lengthen our deepest sympathies to Doug’s household and family members throughout this troublesome time,” the board mentioned.
Megan Lebda informed the Related Press in an announcement that her husband “was an incredible man with a coronary heart so large it appeared to have room for everybody he met.”
“Our hearts are damaged, however we’re additionally deeply grateful for the love and help that has poured in from the world over,” she mentioned.
The corporate introduced in its assertion that the board nominated Lead Impartial Director Steve Ozonian to switch Lebda as Chairman, and Scott Peyree, the Firm’s Chief Working Officer and President, to imagine Lebda’s function as Chief Govt Officer.
“The information of dropping Doug was devastating,” Pyree mentioned within the assertion. “However some of the rapid impacts of his legacy is the sturdy administration group he put in place at LendingTree.”
The board mentioned it might work carefully with Pyree and the management group to honor Lebda’s imaginative and prescient for the corporate. “We’re dedicated to upholding his legacy and persevering with the work he started with ardour, integrity and dedication,” the board mentioned
Lebda is survived by his spouse and three daughters, in accordance with the Related Press.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Doug Lebda, LendingTree CEO dies in ATV accident on household farm
