Pandigital names new president

DUBLIN, Calif. Pandigital has announced that Todd Ruhalter has been named the company's president. He will report to Dean Finnegan, founder of the company, who hands over the role of president to become ceo. Finnegan will focus on product development, strategic alliances and operations.

Ruhalter, who has 27 years of experience with national and international consumer electronics companies, will focus on the company's strategic direction and growth. He will also oversee market development, branding initiatives, sales, and marketing.

Prior to joining Pandigital, Ruhalter was president of Compact Power Systems, the global manufacturing and marketing company for the Cellboost disposable and rechargeable battery line, as well as the iSymphony line of iPod and MP3-related audio products. Ruhalter oversaw product development, sales, marketing and support services, and was pivotal in expanding the company's acceptance by both partners and consumers. His leadership led to the securing of more than 90,000 retail storefronts in the first 18 months of business.

Most prominently, Ruhalter was senior vp at Casio Inc., overseeing all consumer products. During his 18-year tenure there, he was instrumental in the company's exceptional 700 percent growth thanks to his part in establishing new categories and introducing new product lines to the U.S. and global markets.

The company also announced that it has hired Brett Carey as the company's national sales manager. Carey has more than 23 years experience in various sales and marketing roles in the consumer retail products industry with a major focus in consumer electronics. Most recently he was the national sales manager at Samsung. Prior to that, he held management positions at Fuji and Sony Electronics.