Cox Enterprises is a privately held, family-owned conglomerate based in Atlanta, Georgia, that traces its roots to a single Ohio newspaper bought by James M. Cox in 1898. Over more than a century it grew into a roughly $23 billion-a-year business spanning broadband and cable (Cox Communications), automotive services and marketplaces (Cox Automotive, which owns Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Manheim), and media (Cox Media Group and Axios). Still controlled by the Cox family and led by fourth-generation CEO Alex Taylor, the company reinvests its cash into new bets such as greenhouse agriculture, advanced plastics recycling and healthcare, while pursuing an aggressive Cox Conserves goal to be carbon and water neutral by 2034.

Karen Bennett is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Cox Enterprises, the privately held Atlanta conglomerate with nearly 50,000 employees across automotive, communications, and media. She oversees talent, benefits, HR technology, inclusion, and corporate brand. A Terry College of Business alumna twice over, she spent nearly 14 years at Turner Broadcasting before climbing through Cox Media Group and Cox Communications to the parent company's top people role in January 2023.