As Cox Automotive continues its mission to help clients transform our industry, Lori Wittman, president of Cox Automotive Retail Solutions, has made several key changes to her leadership team. Mandi Fang becomes the new senior vice president of Client Operations, and Tracy Noonan Fred becomes the new senior vice president of Dealer Solutions. Both will now report directly to Wittman.
Joining Wittman’s team is Cheryl Miller, who will continue in her role as vice president of Lender Solutions. Jessica Stafford continues to report to Wittman in her role as SVP of Consumer Solutions, but will now lead the combined consumer marketing power of Dealer.com, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book within Cox Automotive’s Retail group.
“With these promotions and alignments, Cox Automotive Retail Solutions is poised to lead our clients confidently into this new era of automotive retailing,” said Wittman. “This leadership team’s experience, determination and passion will fuel the transformation of the automotive industry and drive greater success for our clients and partners.”
Under Mandi Fang, Cox Automotive’s Client Operations will continue to deliver seamless and value-packed experiences to dealer and lender clients. This is work she began in her most recent role as VP of Dealer Service and Support. Fang’s mission is to deliver consistency and excellence to every client touchpoint, including customer/technical service, implementation and on-boarding and training. Creating Contact Centers of Excellence is a cornerstone of her plan to ensure every client request or question is handled expertly.
“My team works with the mindset of keeping our clients at the center of everything we do to deliver efficient and complete workflows as only Cox Automotive can,” said Fang. “I’m laser-focused on building strong relationships that empower our clients and my team to do their best work.”
Fang brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience and 30 years of automotive experience, along with a passion for creating client experiences that are exceptional, to her new role. Previously, Fang was vice president of operations of Cox Automotive’s DMS business developing open, flexible and easy-to-use solutions critical to helping dealerships adapt to a changing industry and shifting consumer expectations. In 2016, Fang was recognized as one of Auto Remarketing’s Women in Remarketing and received the Spirit of Leadership Award from Women’s Automotive Association International.
As SVP of Cox Automotive Dealer Solutions, Tracy Noonan Fred will be responsible for driving increased collaboration and innovation into every dealer-facing solution across the organization. Fred will lead the optimization of sales, product and marketing support. Relying on her proven-track record from her most recent role of VP of Dealer Sales and Service Solutions, Fred will continue to pave the way for client success in the years ahead.
“Great momentum is building across our teams,” said Fred. “Fueled by our clear vision and plans, we can help today’s dealers and automakers transform their businesses from the analog, ‘gut-driven’ past to the new, data-driven digital reality.”
A 25+ year veteran of the automotive industry, Noonan Fred served as vice president of Dealer Sales and Service Solutions, where she built a world-class team and oversaw operational strategies and policies for Dealertrack DMS, VinSolutions and Xtime. She also led Cox Automotive’s Registration and Title Solutions business. Prior to joining Cox Automotive, she held management and sales positions with leading automakers. Fred was recognized as a 2018 Women in Remarketing honoree by Auto Remarketing.
Jessica Stafford recently assumed leadership of the Dealer.com business in order to better optimize and prioritize sales, marketing and product support for all Cox’s clients across dealer websites as well as marketplaces Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. Focusing the organization for the first time on a true value-based optimization approach, Stafford recently oversaw a dramatic transformation of the All-New Autotrader–a faster and more personalized online shopping experience that delivers true price confidence for today’s consumers and drives even more engaged shoppers to the most relevant vehicle options. Stafford also is leading the concentrated effort on clear value articulation and attribution, which sets Cox Automotive apart from others in the industry. She’s been recognized as one of AdWeek’s Rising Stars, AutoRemarketing’s 40 Under 40 and top Women in Remarketing and was named as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 in 2019.
“More than ever, as digital retailing and online transactions continue to evolve, this team can deliver valuable data and insights about consumers that are unmatched in the industry,” Stafford explained.
Cheryl Miller has been at the forefront of Cox Automotive’s effort to meet the surging demand from lenders for more digital tools and online capabilities. Her expertise stems from a distinguished 25+ year management career leading successful high-growth multifaceted organizations in the Automotive Finance Industry. Prior to joining Cox Automotive, Cheryl was CEO of a specialized indirect consumer finance company engaged in acquiring and servicing retail installment sales contracts primarily for used vehicles. She also served as collections and recovery segment leader for FICO, chief servicing officer for Sixth Gear, Inc. and executive vice president at AmeriCredit Corp.
“As the industry marches toward a new era that would not be possible without them, lenders are adapting at a rapid pace, steadily meeting and often exceeding consumers’ online auto finance needs,” Miller said.
“These women were purposefully selected for their innovative ideas and inclusive ways of motivating their teams to achieve goals, streamline processes and leverage technology to create a consistent, seamless client experience across Cox Automotive,” added Wittman.
