Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 2024 – Melanie Lastrapes has been appointed as the new Vice President, HR Business Partners & Global Employment Practices at Cox Automotive Inc. With over 15 years of experience in human resources and employment law, Melanie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new role, where she will oversee HR strategies, employee relations, and global employment practices.
Melanie Lastrapes has been with Cox Automotive Inc. for over 5 years. Prior to her current role, she served as the Assistant Vice President, Global Employment Practices for approximately 2 years. In this position, Melanie was responsible for setting the vision, strategy, and implementation plan for employee and labor relations, global mobility, immigration, and HR compliance functions.
Before becoming Assistant Vice President, Melanie held the position of Senior Director, Global Employment Practices at Cox Automotive Inc. for nearly 3.5 years. During her tenure, she developed and led compliance programs, oversaw HR policies and procedures, and managed a centralized team of employee relations professionals.
Melanie also served as Corporate Counsel, Employment Law at Mercedes-Benz USA for about 3.5 years. In this role, she counseled HR and business leaders on various employment matters, including employee relations, leave administration, disciplinary matters, and employment litigation.
Earlier in her career, Melanie worked at The Home Depot as the Senior Manager, Employment Practices and Associate Relations for over 5.5 years. She led a team of EEO Managers and was responsible for compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, developing training programs, and providing guidance on associate relations issues.
Melanie also gained significant experience as an Associate at Jackson Lewis LLP and Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP, where she defended employers against various employment claims, conducted managerial training, and participated in collective bargaining negotiations.
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders, and fleets. The company has over 29,000 employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch®, and FleetNet America®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with $22 billion in annual revenue.
Read Also : Imagination in a Disrupted Age: Navigating the Future with Curiosity and Empathy
