Cox Automotive announced today that Ken Kraft is joining the company as executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective Monday, February 8. Kraft will report to Cox Automotive President Steve Rowley and join the executive leadership team.

The CMO role has been expanded and elevated to support more growth across Cox Automotive. Kraft will lead both marketing and communications for the Cox Automotive family of more than 25 brands, and he will partner closely with the sales and product teams to develop coordinated strategies that increase revenue. Kraft and his team will be responsible for advertising, brand positioning and identity, internal communications, market research, marketing communications, pricing strategies, product marketing and public relations.

"Ken is the perfect leader to take on this role," said Rowley. "He was chosen from a slate of internal and external candidates because he is a strategic, growth-minded marketer. Ken is an exceptional leader dedicated to the Cox values we all share including empowering people today to build a better future for the next generation."

Before joining Cox Automotive, Kraft spent nine years at Cox Business, the division of Cox Communications, which provides voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers. At Cox Business, he built the marketing and sales operations team and positioned them as strategic business partners that played a pivotal role in Cox Business' explosive growth. He was most recently senior vice president of marketing and sales operations at Cox Business, which is Cox Communication's fastest-growing division. A 32-year telecommunications industry veteran, Kraft has also served in a variety of leadership roles in sales, product management and marketing at AT&T, BellSouth and Sprint.

Kraft received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina. He serves on the Dean's Leadership Council for the University of South Carolina College of Information & Communications. Kraft is an active member of the Atlanta community and has served on the boards of The Trust for Public Land, Fernbank Museum, Adaptive Spirit and the Sandy Springs Education Force.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company's more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®,are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com