ATLANTA — Cox Enterprises Inc. announced today that Sanford (Sandy) Schwartz, president of Manheim, will assume the role of president of AutoTrader Group.

Schwartz will maintain his role at Manheim, and will continue reporting to Jimmy W. Hayes, president and CEO of Cox Enterprises.

“Sandy is a proven Cox leader, and uniquely qualified to lead both of our automotive subsidiaries,” said Hayes. “I look forward to working with him as he and his teams identify opportunities to grow our business in the automotive industry space.”

Schwartz has served as president of Manheim since 2011. Prior to Manheim, Schwartz served as president of Cox Media Group, where he was instrumental in bringing together newspaper, television, radio, direct mail and Internet operations.

Schwartz joined Cox in 1985 and served in various roles of increasing responsibility, including president of Cox Arizona Publishing, executive vice president of the Austin American-Statesman, vice president and general manager of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, executive vice president of Cox Newspapers and vice president of business development for Cox Enterprises.

Schwartz's automotive experience includes serving as president of Cox AutoTrader, comprised of both AutoTrader.com and AutoTrader Publishing. He also has served on the board of AutoTrader.com for many years.

After a 15-year career with Cox, Perry will leave AutoTrader, effective May 1.

“Chip has been a primary, strategic architect of AutoTrader’s growth and I thank him for his vision, leadership and his years of service to the company,” added Hayes. “I wish him the very best.”

Perry, who served as president and CEO of AutoTrader.com, was the company’s first employee in 1997 when asked by Manheim to launch the company. Since then, AutoTrader.com has grown to become the world’s largest automotive marketplace, and Perry has become widely recognized as a pioneer of the online automotive industry. During his tenure with AutoTrader.com, Perry has overseen the evolution of the sales, marketing, product development, information technology and customer service efforts of the company. 

“I’ve had the privilege of being a part of the Cox organization for nearly three decades,” said Schwartz. “I’m excited to work alongside the talented teams at AutoTrader and Manheim, as we work together to more effectively collaborate on strategy, share industry knowledge and better serve our customers in the automotive sector.”