Businessman chairman president
Miles attended Woodrow Wilson high school in Washington, District of Columbia, and Northwestern University, where he was president of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He graduated in 1961, with a degree in advertising and journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
From 1961 to 1971 he was an advertising executive at Leo Burnett Company He was also a trustee of Northwestern University. He died on November 10, 2013 from complications of a brain tumor.
Miles began his career at Leo Burnett & Company in 1961 as a Media analyst, and progressed to the position of VP Account Supervisor.
In 1972, he was hired by Kentucky Fried Chicken as VP of Marketing, and by 1977 was appointed President of the company. He is in large part responsible for the company"s large market share today.
In 1983, Mr. Miles was hired away from Kentucky Fried Chicken by Dart & Kraft Company, where he become president and Chief Executive in 1985.
He helped to orchestrate the $13 billion merger of Phillip Morris and Kraft in 1988, at the time one of the largest merger deals in history. He became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the two companies in 1991, and was notably the first non-smoking chief executive of a major tobacco company.
At Kraft, Miles became well known for his mentorship of up-and-coming managers, and established a development program called the "Leadership Corridor," featured in the Harvard Business Review, which fostered current executives of companies including Gillette, Caremark Corporation, and Sears Roebuck, among multiple others In 1993, his decision as Chief Executive Officer of Phillip Morris to cut the price of Marlboro cigarettes by 20% resulted in the so-called Marlboro Friday stock plunge, as consumers feared the decline of big name brands.
Boards of directors
Following his executive career, Michael Miles served as a director on the board of numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Dell, Time Warner, Sears, Morgan Stanley, and American Airlines.
As a director, he was known for his pragmatic, no-nonsense business approach and his decisive nature.
