Schwartz to Become President of Both Manheim and AutoTrader as Perry to Depart
ATLANTA — SubPrime Auto Finance News learned this morning that Sandy Schwartz
not only will serve as the president of Manheim, but will assume the role of
president of AutoTrader Group, which includes AutoTrader.com, Kelley Blue Book
and VinSolutions.
Chip Perry, who has been with AutoTrader.com since its
inception in 1997, will leave the company effective May 1, according to an
announcement from Cox Enterprises.
Cox said Schwartz will continue reporting to Jimmy Hayes,
president and chief executive officer of Cox Enterprises.
"I've had the privilege of being a part of the Cox
organization for nearly three decades," Schwartz said. "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."
Schwartz rose to become president of Manheim in 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 to create a more effective organization focused on growth.
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.
"Sandy is a proven Cox leader, and uniquely qualified to
lead both of our automotive subsidiaries," Hayes said. "I look forward to
working with him as he and his teams identify opportunities to grow our
business in the automotive industry space."
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.
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.
"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," Hayes said. "I wish him the very best."
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