Karen Bennett

Karen Bennett is the executive vice president and chief people officer for Cox Enterprises, a private, family-owned company based in Atlanta, Georgia, with $23 billion in annual revenues. In her role, she leads the people solutions, corporate affairs, inclusion & diversity, HR technology services, benefits, compensation, talent acquisition, and the brand, marketing and creative departments. 

Bennett brings more than 30 years of experience in leading teams that focus on maximizing talent potential and the total employee experience while addressing the needs of the business.

Before joining Cox Enterprises, Bennett was EVP and chief people officer for Cox Communications. There she developed and executed talent strategies to align with Cox’s operating principles and worked through the challenges of driving continual growth in the business.

Prior to that role, Bennett was chief human resources officer for Cox Media Group. Before her time with Cox, Bennett was chief human resources officer for YP (formerly AT&T Ad Solutions). She is a cable veteran as well, having served as senior vice president of human resources for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. for nearly 14 years.

Bennett currently serves on the board of directors of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) Foundation, the Human Resources Leadership Forum of Atlanta and the Metro Atlanta American Heart Association. She also serves on the Georgia State University HR Roundtable consortium.

Bennett is a graduate of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia where she earned both her bachelor’s and executive MBA degrees. Terry College recognized Bennett as a Distinguished Alumni in April 2023. She is also an ICF-certified executive coach.