IRVINE, Calif. -

Kelley Blue Book announced late Tuesday that president Paul Johnson has resigned from his position effective immediately. Taking on the role as president for KBB will be AutoTrader.com vice president Jared Rowe.

Rowe is currently vice president of product management for AutoTrader.com in Atlanta, Ga. Rowe’s new role is effective immediately. Kelley Blue Book was acquired by AutoTrader.com in October 2010.

Johnson will become a strategic advisor to the company.

“All of us at AutoTrader.com appreciate the excellent work Paul Johnson did in leading Kelley Blue Book for more than 13 years and in bringing the company into the AutoTrader family last year. He led the transformation of Kelley Blue Book from an iconic print publication into a major force in the online auto space, and during his time with the company its revenues grew nearly sevenfold. Paul leaves a strong legacy at Kelley Blue Book. We are excited about the growth strategy he has developed for the company,” explained Chip Perry, president and chief executive officer of AutoTrader.com.

Paul Johnson stated, “I have accomplished and exceeded much of what I envisioned for Kelley Blue Book when I started in 1999. The culmination of our success and transformation was realized with the acquisition by AutoTrader.com and the future path to even greater success is clear. With this in mind, I decided the time for a transition in leadership is right, and I enthusiastically support Jared and the entire Kelley Blue Book team in this next phase of growth.”

Kelley Blue Book’s new president joined AutoTrader.com in 2010 as vice president of product management. Before joining AutoTrader.com, Rowe spent 10 years at FordDirect where he was a member of the founding executive management team. At FordDirect Rowe assumed varying positions of responsibility, including product strategy, dealer products distribution, channel pricing, call center management, sales model development and information technology, before being named executive vice president responsible for the re-architecture of FordDirect’s business and product strategy.

“Jared is a proven business leader who understands consumer behavior in the car-buying process and the marketing needs of auto dealers and manufacturers. Jared will focus on maintaining the company’s leadership position in the automotive research and valuation space while leading important product collaboration efforts between Kelley Blue Book and the other companies in the AutoTrader family,” said Perry.

Rowe also held positions at Autobytel in business development and at Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors as a service and parts manager. He began his career in the automotive industry as a passenger car marketing analyst for Toyota Motor Sales.