ATLANTA -

Longtime Cox Automotive executive Janet Barnard is retiring at the end of June, finishing more than three decades with Cox Enterprises, including several years as president of Manheim and leading the Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions group.

Currently the executive vice president and chief people officer at Cox Automotive, Barnard moved from the Cox Communications segment to the automotive side of the business in 2011, when she became executive vice president and chief operating officer of Manheim.

She was named president of Manheim in 2014, eventually moving up to become president of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions a couple of years later, then became the chief people officer in 2017.

“For her legion of friends and fans, it will be hard to imagine life here without Janet’s thirst for innovation, her sharp eye for operational execution and her deeply personal and empathetic leadership style,” Cox Automotive president Steve Rowley said in an internal note shared with Auto Remarketing on Thursday.

Barnard led Manheim’s $400 million technology and infrastructure investment during her helm at the auction company, an initiative called “mPower” that essentially was the foundation of Manheim’s current digital shift today, Rowley said.

Manheim’s business grew by $1 billion after the Great Recession during her tenure, he said.

In her current role, “Janet has been one of the architects of Cox Automotive’s integrated strategy and growth culture, as well as EXLab and the broader effort to build a modern workplace and attract and develop the best possible talent at Cox,” Rowley said.

“As I’m sure she would say, Janet’s heart has always been in the field where she began her career and made stops everywhere from Macon, GA to Tyler, TX to her 'hometown' in Omaha, NE. Hardly a moment passed without Janet reminding all of us of the importance of the people on the front lines,” Rowley said in the note.

“And that goes double for her persistent voice as a champion of diversity and a truly inclusive culture. She never hesitates to speak up and to speak her mind — and whether you worked with her, for her, or near her, we all benefitted from her friendship, coaching and dogged determination to do the right thing and live the Cox values every single moment of every single day. In these ways and so many more, she’s made us all better.”

Barnard joined the Auto Remarketing Podcast in 2017, shortly after she was promoted to the position of chief people officer. That episode can be found here.