The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Taylor named COO at Cox Enterprises
Great-grandson of founder pleased to play critical role at company.
Cox Enterprises on Wednesday said Alex Taylor, great-grandson of founder James M. Cox, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Atlanta-based communications, media and auto services company.
Taylor, 41, was previously executive vice president overseeing long-term investment and growth strategies. He will continue to report to CEO John Dyer.
The move positions Taylor as a top candidate to eventually ascend to the CEO job at the family-owned company.
“Cox has always been a family-led business and I am pleased that the next generation is continuing to play a critical role in the future of our company,” said James Cox Kennedy, chairman of the board at Cox Enterprises and the last family member who was CEO. Kennedy held the post for 20 years through 2008.
Taylor said he is “humbled and honored to help lead our family business.”
“I think of this as not so much about me as about the evolution of the company,” he said. “I tend to look at my job as defining the vision for the future and nurturing our company’s great culture.”
The majority of Cox’s $18 billion in annual revenue comes from its cable TV and high-speed internet business.
Other major units are Cox Automotive, which includes such brands as Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, and Cox Media Group, which includes radio, TV, newspaper and digital media operations.
Cox’s media holdings include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Taylor said Cox is exploring new businesses that can mesh with its communications, media and auto services expertise, particularly in the areas of sustainability and telemedicine.
Asked about consolidation in the cable-internet industry, where merger speculation has occasionally included Cox, he said Cox is “completely committed to growing and building our cable company.”
Prior to his most recent post, Taylor was an executive at Cox Communications, the cable-internet arm. He began his career as a reporter and editor, rising eventually to executive vice president of Cox Media Group.
The Vanderbilt University graduate chairs the board of American Rivers, a nonprofit, and is the author of a book, “The Longest Cast: The Fly-Fishing Journey of a Lifetime.”