business

William Lansing, a veteran technology executive, will succeed Mark Greene as CEO of credit-scoring firm Fair Isaac Corp., the company announced late Thursday.

Lansing, who once ran Eden-Prairie-based ValueVision Media Inc., is a six-year Fair Isaac board member. He takes over as chief executive on Friday.

Greene, 57, ran Fair Isaac since 2006 and will continue with Fair Isaac as an adviser for 13 months. He did not give his reasons for departing.

"I'm proud of what we have accomplished over that time, especially given the turbulence of financial markets," Greene said during a conference call with analysts. "We streamlined and simplified the business."

Fair Isaac -- which now goes by its brand name, FICO -- benefited from the debt bubble and go-go lending between 2002 and 2006, when sales doubled. But the company struggled during the recession and laid off about a third of its employees, including 200 in February 2011.

Since then, Fair Isaac's condition has improved in recent quarters, and the stock price has risen about 75 percent in the past year. The company reported Thursday that earnings doubled to 81 cents per share in its first fiscal quarter, easily topping analysts' expectations. Revenue increased 9 percent to $170.4 million.

Fair Isaac Chairman George Battle credited Greene with guiding the company "through one of the most turbulent times in our history."

"Mark is leaving the company stronger than when he arrived," Battle said.

Lansing, 53, stepped down in November 2010 as CEO of InfoSpace, an Internet search and directory service firm in Bellevue, Wash. He also has served as a partner of General Atlantic Partners, a global private equity investment firm.

Lansing led ValueVision for several years until his departure in 2007 for NBC Internet. He also has held top jobs at the former Fingerhut, General Electric and once worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. as a securities lawyer.

"We are confident Will is the right person to ensure that FICO capitalizes on its market-leading position and global opportunities to drive future growth and value creation for our shareholders," Battle said.

In a conference call with analysts late Thursday, Lansing said he doesn't anticipate "dramatic change" for the company.

Neal St. Anthony • 612-673-7144