Waltham, Mass. - DealerRater, a car dealer review Web site, appointed 30-year automotive industry executive Gary Tucker to the newly created position of chief executive officer.

Tucker will be responsible for leading the company through its next phase of growth, building on DealerRater’s leadership in the consumer review and content marketing disciplines. He will direct the company’s long-term growth strategy and lead the evaluation of any potential acquisitions.

“Given his global marketing and retail experience within the automotive industry, Gary was an ideal choice to lead DealerRater through the next critical phase in our growth story,” said DealerRater Founder Chip Grueter. “The entire DealerRater team is thrilled to welcome Gary as our CEO as we continue our evolution into the epicenter of consumer sentiment for the automotive industry.”

Most recently, Tucker was senior vice president of Global Product Management and Marketing at J.D. Power, reporting directly to the company’s president. In that capacity, he was responsible for developing products and services to meet the needs of J.D. Power’s customers around the world, as well as brand marketing. During his 12-year tenure at J.D. Power, Mr. Tucker also held various senior management positions, including executive director of client services for the automotive industry.

Earlier in his career, Tucker was vice president of marketing and product planning for American Isuzu Motors Inc. During his three years with Isuzu, he also served as vice president of sales and as vice president of asset management. Previously, he also held various sales and marketing positions at GE Capital Auto Financial Services, including business leader of the Canadian unit, GE Capital Autolease Canada, located in Mississauga, Ontario. He also spent 10 years in the retail automotive industry in the Northeast.

Since its launch in 2002, DealerRater has become one of the largest online resources for anyone seeking third-party information on automobile dealerships. Its site features nearly 41,000 U.S. and Canadian car dealers, as well as nearly 1.4 million consumer reviews. DealerRater maintains more dealership reviews than the next five consumer review sites combined.