Stephen Miles

Stephen Miles is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Miles Group. Previously, he was a Vice Chairman at Heidrick & Struggles and ran Leadership Advisory Services. With more than 20 years of experience in assessment, executive coaching, top-level succession planning, organizational effectiveness and strategy consulting, Stephen specializes in CEO succession and has partnered with numerous boards of global Fortune 500 companies to ensure that a successful leadership selection and transition occurs.

Stephen is a recognized expert on the role of the chief operating officer, and has consulted numerous companies on the establishment and the effectiveness of the position and supporting the transition from COO to effective CEO. He is a coach to many CEOs and COOs around the world, and Stephen and his CEO advisory services were profiled in the Bloomberg Businessweek article “The Rising Star of CEO Consulting.”

Stephen has been featured in numerous publications such as Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Directorship, and Strategy + Business. Stephen is author and co-editor of the best-selling business book Leaders Talk Leadership. He also co-authored Riding Shotgun: The Role of the Chief Operating Officer as well as Your Career Game: How Game Theory Can Help You Achieve Your Professional Goals. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of CEO succession, coaching C-level executives, talent management and complementary leadership at the top.

Stephen is a director at CDK Global, where he serves as a member of the Nominating & Governance Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s of business administration, both from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He also holds a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Victoria. Stephen currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. He has lived in Argentina, Canada, Iraq, Kenya, and South Africa.