Cox Automotive's Marianne Johnson Defines A New Leadership Model For Orchestrating Enterprise-Scale AI Transformation
CIO, Thursday, September 3rd, 2026
The Rise of the AI Operating Executive
Marianne Johnson, EVP and chief product and technology officer at Cox Automotive, is pioneering an integrated operating model that unifies product, technology, data, AI, engineering, and cybersecurity under one leadership structure.
Consolidating these traditionally separate functions has accelerated the organization's ability to operationalize AI at scale and adapt to rapid technological shifts.
She emphasizes that future leaders need multidisciplinary skills, high-change management experience, and genuine AI fluency, while staying curious and hands-on.
As agents increasingly handle code generation, the bottleneck shifts from development to ideation and discovery, requiring critical thinkers who can identify high-impact opportunities.