Ted Deikel, chairman of the board of Metris Cos. Inc. and a longtime direct marketing veteran who headed up Fingerhut Cos. Inc. for several years, said on Wednesday that he would retire on May 8 to focus on his Internet investments. No replacement was named.
Deikel was one of the founders of Metris, St. Louis Park, MN, which markets credit products and fee-based services to moderate-income consumers, and had been its chairman and CEO since it was spun off from Fingerhut in 1996. He served two stints as CEO of Fingerhut: 1975-1983 and 1989-1996. In between, he served as chairman and CEO of direct marketer CVN Cos. Inc., which was later acquired by the QVC Network.
Ron Zebek remains president/CEO of Metris. Analysts said Deikel’s departure would not affect Metris’ operations, as Zebek has been running the company.
