Cox Auto Names SVP

Cox Automotive promoted Joe Kichler to senior vice president of digital inventory and supply chain solutions. In the new and expanded leadership position, he will assume responsibility for all Manheim digital tools—including the Manheim Digital Marketplace—while continuing to guide Cox Automotive’s logistics businesses, Central Dispatch and Ready Logistics.

Kichler takes on the role as technology and artificial intelligence are beginning to enable significant advancements for clients in digital wholesale and vehicle transportation. By bringing the solutions under one leader, Cox Automotive can accelerate innovation and realize the full potential of the digital marketplace quicker, ultimately getting each vehicle where it needs to be more efficiently.

"As the wholesale marketplace continues to move upstream and converge with retail, our goal is to continue to create more seamless connections between our digital and transportation capabilities that benefit our clients,” said Grace Huang, president of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions. “Joe has proven to be a visionary leader who not only inspires change, but also effectively leads teams through large-scale transformations. I know his experience will be invaluable in giving our clients more connected tools to drive their success.”

In his previous role, Kichler's leadership was instrumental in digitizing Ready Logistics’ transportation solutions through a strategic partnership with DHL Supply Chain. After implementing that vision, his team secured additional investment to transform Central Dispatch’s load board into the premier integrated transportation marketplace—a process that just completed its first phase.

With a passion for digital two-sided marketplaces like Manheim’s buyers and sellers and Central Dispatch with its shippers and carriers, Kichler said, “Automotive is a critical enabler of our everyday lives, and the opportunity to transform these key pieces of the ecosystem is huge. There’s so much untapped potential for driving more client efficiencies at the intersection of digital wholesale and vehicle transportation. That is why I’m looking forward to bringing our talented teams and industry-leading, powerful solutions closer together: to make it easier for our clients to do business.”

Kichler joined Manheim in 2012 as vice president of operational excellence, where he oversaw the design of new auction processes and client experiences while also leading Enterprise Portfolio Management and Operational Analytics functions. He also served as vice president of group strategy, responsible for strategic planning across the company’s wholesale and retail brands, before assuming the role of vice president of logistics. Prior to joining Cox Automotive, Kichler held business strategy and management consulting positions with Deloitte and Boston Consulting Group.

He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.