The seven-year-old company has been sold for a sum in the region of £25m to a seven-strong management team and private equity firm Promethean Investments.
Expanding the company through acquisitions is an option, according to Promethean's principal Mike Biddulph.
"Data Locator is a dynamic young business with an exceptional management team, offering us the potential for rapid growth through the continued development of its existing services and the acquisition of complementary businesses," he said.
The team consists of Whitaker, chief operations officer John Dunne, chief financial officer Ivan Parkinson, group sales director Graham Bate, group marketing director Jason Froggett, group commercial director Sue Nelson and group data director Richard Webster.
The company's name will change from Data Locator Group to DLG, but the group will continue to market its consumer lifestyle data under the name of Data Locator.
Whitaker, the former European managing director of Brann Marketing Services and managing director of The Knowledge Store, said DLG excited him enormously.
"Our growth rate is astounding, our business model unique, and our people universally acknowledged to provide exceptional service," he said.
Another former European managing director of Brann, Roy Boss, is joining the company as a non-executive director.
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