ATLANTA (Dec. 11, 2014) – Cox Automotive President Sandy Schwartz announced today that Janet Barnard will take on the role as president of Manheim North America, effective immediately. Barnard previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

In her new role, Barnard will continue to lead the company’s core vehicle auction business that includes 78 operating locations and a team of more than 18,000 employees. As a member of the Cox Automotive leadership team, she has the responsibility for strategic business functions such as Operations, Sales, Customer Experience and Product Development. Manheim is the leading provider of vehicle remarketing services, connecting buyers and sellers of used vehicles to the largest wholesale vehicle marketplace.

“Janet has done a tremendous job of reinforcing Manheim’s position as an industry leader and setting a vision for the company’s long-term success,” said Schwartz. “We congratulate her on this well-deserved achievement and look forward to the many contributions she will continue to make to our industry, our company and our customers as a valued member of the Cox Automotive executive team.”

Over the past three years at Manheim, Barnard has implemented a variety of key initiatives designed to further the industry, while creating a more efficient auction experience for customers. This includes working to create a Multi-Platform Selling solution that makes buying and selling easier for customers and launching a $100 million multi-year auction modernization effort that uses technology to redesign processes, enabling employees to spend more time with customers.

Prior to joining Manheim, Barnard served as senior vice president and general manager for Cox Communications' Central Region. In that role, she was responsible for growing the $1.2 billion region in voice, data and video services across a residential and commercial base of more than 700,000 customers. Prior to that role, Barnard served as senior vice president and general manager for other Cox Communications regional business areas, including Northern Virginia, Middle America and Omaha. Barnard joined Cox in 1988 as the accounting manager for Middle Georgia operations.

She is a member of the Metro Atlanta Clean Tech Leadership Council, which focuses on growing the clean tech economy, attracting and growing clean tech jobs and positioning metro Atlanta as a leader in sustainability. She was most recently recognized by Women in Technology (WIT) as the winner of the 2014 Woman of the Year in Technology Award in the Large/Enterprise Organization category. This award recognizes the accomplishments of Georgia’s top women leaders and the impact they have made in their communities. In 2010, Barnard was recognized as a Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Fellow, which honors the most successful female leaders in the cable and telecommunications industry. She was also recognized by CableFAX as a Top 25 Regional Player, as well as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Cable.

Barnard gives back to her community as a supporter of and participant in the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America (KPCRAA), which raises funds and awareness for Victory Junction and other charities supporting chronically ill children. In addition, she has been involved in All Our Kids, acting as a board member and mentor for this organization that serves at-risk youth by providing mentoring and college scholarships to those who uphold certain behavioral and performance standards in the program.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive is a leading provider of vehicle remarketing services and digital marketing and software solutions for automotive dealers and consumers. Cox Automotive, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, includes Manheim, AutoTrader.com, Kelley Blue Book, vAuto, NextGear Capital, and a host of global businesses and brands serving customers such as auto dealers, manufacturers and financial institutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Cox Automotive employs nearly 24,000 employees in over 150 locations worldwide. The company partners with more than 40,000 dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, and touches over 67 percent of all car buyers in the U.S. with the most recognized brands in the industry. Cox Automotive unites more than 20 brands in this space, providing an end-to-end solution to transform the way people buy and sell cars every day.

About Manheim

Manheim is the leading global provider of vehicle remarketing services, connecting buyers and sellers of used vehicles to the largest wholesale used-vehicle marketplace. The company helps dealer and commercial customers achieve results by providing physical and digital auction channels, data analysis, financing, transportation and mobile products and solutions.

Manheim pioneered in-lane vehicle auctions and has been an innovator in both digital and mobile auction platforms. Manheim registers nearly 7 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing nearly $46 billion in value. Manheim’s research and consulting arm, Manheim Consulting, provides industry-leading market intelligence and publishes the widely recognized annual Used Car Market Report. The company offers dealer financing through NextGear Capital, Inc., and transportation services through Ready Auto Transport.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim has more than 20,000 employees in 121 worldwide sites and generates annual revenues of more than $2.5 billion. A subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Manheim participates in “Go Green with Manheim,” the company’s sustainability program.

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NAAA Posted 12/12/2014