Strategist, Innovator, Team Builder—this VP Does it All for Cox Automotive

As vice president of strategic planning for Cox Automotive, Amy Mills leads a talented team focused on strategic plan development across Cox Automotive, as well as measurement and progress reporting.
With Cox for 13 years, Amy was a key executive behind the architecture and strategy development for the company, defining how the 20 different automotive businesses would come together. She assembled the Cox Automotive strategic planning team and delivered the first strategic roadmap.

In her role with Manheim (a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises), Amy led the transformation of the company’s digital presence to include live and listed bid technologies, positioning the company as the lead digital commerce site in the wholesale automobile industry. Manheim now sells more than one million vehicles via its digital channels, with monthly visits of five million. She was instrumental in the development and implementation of Manheim’s mobile device strategy, leading the project that enabled search, bid, and purchase across mobile devices. The mobile project provides customers with an open experience that allows them to move from physical to digital, and pc to mobile device.

“I consider my first role in product management and operations my biggest career leap,” said Amy. “I learned that you can achieve almost anything with the right team and support network in place.

An outstanding strategist, digital technology innovator, and high-performance team builder, Amy does an excellent job of bringing organizations together toward a common vision and purpose. She focuses on her team’s development, helping to shape many up-and-coming Cox Automotive strategic and product executives. This key Cox Automotive and automotive industry executive earned her bachelor’s degree at Appalachian State University.


The most important quality a woman leader should have is…
…authenticity – you cannot truly connect with others unless you are real.

The career advice I’d give my former self:
Slow down and spend more energy in the moment.

The one thing I’d do differently in my career, knowing what I know now, is…
…worry less and dream more. It’s easy to create big distractions out of things that really aren’t that important.

When I really need to focus on a project, I…
…find a quiet place outside of the office or go interview someone with a different point of view.

My biggest career leap (and what I learned from it) was…
…in my first role in product management and operations, I learned that you can achieve almost anything with the right team and support network in place.

Being a woman in my profession has been…
…less unique than you might think.

I’ve learned that failure is…
…the best teacher, if you listen to her.

I maintain a healthy personal life by…
…spending time outdoors, hiking and running in my neighborhood and on trails around Atlanta.

I knew my present career was what I wanted to do when…
…I created and presented my first marketing strategy and plan.