Ken Kauppila has been named executive vice president for Experian Automotive, according to President John Jira. Kauppila will lead the overall performance of Experian Automotive including information technology, product development, sales and marketing.

Kauppila is also responsible for the design and development of the National Vehicle Database, recently recognized by the Winter Corporation as the world's 10th largest database. The Database contains 15 billion records on more than 330 million vehicles.

Kauppila joined experian Automotive in 1998 and brings more than 14 years of industry experience in both application development and the development of large-scale information systems, data warehouses and data marts.

"In a span of one year, Ken spearheaded the creation of the National Vehicle Database, as well as established our position in the automotive industry," said Jira. "Ken's motivation, experience and leadership make him a natural fit for this position."

Prior to joining Experian, Kauppila held strategic technology management and director positions for Fortune 100 corporations. As chief architect and program management office chair, he directed the development of the healthcare industry's first managed care tracking system for one of the largest integrated healthcare networks in the nation.

Additionally, Kauppila was responsible for the international implementation of an incident reporting system for a major oil compnay. He also managed the nationwide implementation of a distribution business decision support system with an activity-based costing module, which provided a daily profit and loss of five distribution businesses to both a gross and net profit level.

About Experian

Experian Automotive offers a complete range of automotive information solutions to manufacturers, dealers, finance and insurance companies and marketing agencies. Experian's technology, consulting services, direct marketing and database tools assist companies serving the automotive industry to better understand existing customers, effectively target new prospects, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and ultimately reach its business objectives. The company's National Vehicle Database is an expansive database housing information on more than 330 million motor vehicles nationwide, serving as the basic building block from which all of Experian's automotive solutions originate. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.experian.com.