Sandy Schwartz, a former journalist and longtime executive within Cox Enterprises who most recently served as the CEO of the Cox Family Office, plans to retire from the company at the end of this year.
Schwartz, who joined Cox in 1985, will be succeeded by Cody Partin, Cox senior vice president of enterprise security and corporate services, the company said in a Tuesday news release.
“There’s no one more qualified than Cody to be the next leader of the Cox Family Office,” Alex Taylor, chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises, said in a news release.
Taylor also praised Schwartz, whom he said, “helped lead our company through some of our biggest moments.”
Cox, which last year celebrated its 125th anniversary, is one of the nation’s largest privately held companies. The company’s subsidiaries include Cox Automotive and cable and broadband giant Cox Communications. Cox’s media holdings include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Cox headquarters is in Sandy Springs.
The family office manages investments for the Cox family and oversees estate planning and other family business matters.
Schwartz has had a hand in nearly every Cox business over the past four decades.
He led Cox Automotive as CEO, bringing together various businesses including AutoTrader, the auto auction giant Manheim and Kelley Blue Book. He also helped close one of Cox’s biggest transactions, the 2015 purchase of auto dealership services firm Dealertrack for $4 billion.
Before running the automotive division, Schwartz led Cox’s media division, which at the time included multiple newspapers and dozens of television and radio stations. Since taking over the family office in 2020, Schwartz has been involved in Cox’s acquisition of media startup Axios and efforts to transform the AJC into a modern media company.
Schwartz joined Cox working at a newspaper in Phoenix, ultimately rising through the ranks in the newsroom and later the business side of the paper. At one point, he also served as general manager of the AJC.
“Deep down, I consider myself a journalist first,” Schwartz said in an interview. During his career with Cox, he said, “I got to put my best skills as a journalist and my business skills together.”
Schwartz said he has had the good fortune of working with multiple generations of the Cox family. He worked closely with Chairman Emeritus Jim Kennedy, the third generation of family leadership, Taylor, the fourth generation, and most recently a fifth generation Cox family member worked with the company as an intern.
“He’s been a mentor to so many people and represents the very best of our people-first culture,” Taylor said of Schwartz. “He will be greatly missed as head of the family office, but he will continue collaborating with me on certain strategic projects in the future.”
Partin joined Cox in 2009. He is a real estate attorney by trade, earning his law degree from Harvard Law School. He also received a bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia.
“I grew up in a family business and I have an incredible appreciation and admiration for the Cox story and the family and the legacy it’s created,” Partin said.
At Cox, Partin has served in key corporate security and human resources roles. He oversaw Cox benefits, executive compensation, inclusion and diversity, HR technology and talent retention efforts.
“Throughout his career, he has always been eager to accept new challenges, and he has earned the trust of senior leaders and Cox family members every step of the way,” Taylor said. “Cody has what it takes to ensure the needs of the Cox family are fully supported.”
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