Jim Kennedy, longtime chairman of Cox Enterprises will be stepping down as the board’s top officer at the end of the year.
Kennedy, grandson of Cox founder James M. Cox, joined the Atlanta-based company in 1972 as a production assistant in the newspaper division. He also served as a reporter, copy editor and also worked in advertising and executive roles, before being named chairman and CEO in 1988.
Under Kennedy’s leadership, Cox grew from a company with about $2 billion in annual revenues to $20 billion. Kennedy stepped down as CEO in 2008.
Alex Taylor, Cox president and CEO, and the great-grandson of the company’s founder has been appointed the next chairman. He starts on Jan. 1.
Taylor began his career at the company as a reporter for The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in Colorado.
With the change in leadership, Kennedy will remain a voting member of the Cox board and will continue as chairman of the James M. Cox Foundation.
