Stephen Miles -- CEO Coach and Succession Expert -- Founds The Miles Group

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's top CEO coaches and succession experts today launched a new firm, The Miles Group, based in New York. Stephen Miles, the former vice chairman and head of leadership advisory services at Heidrick & Struggles, works with Fortune 500 boards of directors and chief executives globally to develop and execute CEO succession plans and board assessments. He and his team also train executives and build C-level talent benches to prepare companies for strategic growth.

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"The extreme competitiveness of today's business climate is making companies rethink their approach to talent," says Mr. Miles. "By setting up this new advisory firm, we have the ability to further advance talent development so that organizations can better prepare themselves for both expected and unexpected challenges – from sudden CEO departures to global events that move markets."

Dubbed "the rising star of CEO consulting" by Bloomberg Businessweek, Mr. Miles has led some of the world's top companies through seamless CEO transitions. His succession expertise has been a significant draw for corporate boards, who are increasingly rethinking their succession plans as the process comes under the microscope of investors, activists, board observers, and the media.

"The complexity of leadership transitions, including onboarding new CEOs, requires meticulous planning and, just as important, a robust process to ensure excellent CEO-board communication on an ongoing basis," says Mr. Miles. "We address the scope of leadership at the top of the house – from helping companies develop the bench of executive talent to preparing the incoming CEO to creating a best-practice environment for board governance, development, and succession."

Mr. Miles has written extensively on the topics of CEO succession, leadership during times of crisis, and board governance, and conducts research with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is the co-author of the Stanford case study, "Multimillionaire Matchmaker: An Inside Look at CEO Succession Planning," and contributes regularly to Bloomberg Businessweek's "Management Blog."

Recent writings for Bloomberg Businessweek include: "Hidden Costs of the Citi Succession," "NFL Fans Get the 'Stakeholder' Treatment in Ref Dispute," "The Disappearing COO and the Evaporating Talent Pool," "Overcommitting to a CEO (or a Coach)," and "Systemic Shocks: Does Your Leader Absorb Them – Or Make Them Worse?" In addition, he has written for Corporate Board Member – "Is Your Board About to Pick the Wrong CEO?" – and NACD's Directorship – "Choosing Your Next Lead Director."

In addition to succession, Mr. Miles is known in particular for his expertise on the Chief Operating Officer (COO) role – a role that "is arguably the toughest job in a company," he says. His book Riding Shotgun: The Role of the Chief Operating Officer and accompanying cover article in the Harvard Business Review explore the challenges of the COO position and the opportunities it provides for effective succession planning.

The Miles Group is part of a network of firms that includes the G100 Network – a private group of CEOs of the world's largest companies – and SSA & Company, a management consulting firm that works with top corporations on innovating their operations. Advisors to The Miles Group include SSA chief executive Scott Miller; SSA president David Niles; Georgia State University business professor Nathan Bennett; and Stanford Graduate School of Business professor David Larcker.

"With our network, we are able to bring together the most powerful, innovative thinking in leadership and talent and put it to great use for our clients," says Mr. Miles. "We are about optimizing leadership and turning it into pure value for the company."

For more information, please contact Davia Temin or Suzanne Oaks of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or [email protected].

About The Miles Group
The Miles Group develops talent strategies for organizations, teams, and individuals – focusing on high-performance, world-class leadership. Headquartered in New York, we advise top global corporations through CEO succession, executive transitions, board assessment and training, and talent development. Our coaching and advisory services enable leaders to raise the bar on their own performance, as well as create an environment for success throughout the organization. For more information, visit www.miles-group.com.

About 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 15 years of experience in assessment, executive coaching, top-level succession planning, organizational effectiveness and strategy consulting, Mr. Miles 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. He has also led many chairman successions and board effectiveness reviews, partnering with boards of directors to help them with their overall effectiveness, committee effectiveness and individual director effectiveness.

Mr. Miles 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 his clients cut across all industry sectors.

SOURCE The Miles Group