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'''Michael A. Miles''' (1940–2013) was an American marketer and businessman from Washington, D.C., who served as Chief executive of [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]], [[Kraft Foods]], and [[Altria Group|Philip Morris Companies]], and as a director on the board of [[Time Warner]], [[Sears Holdings Corporation]], [[Dell|Dell Inc.]], [[AMR Corp.|AMR Corporation]], and [[Citadel Broadcasting|Citadel Broadcasting Corporation]]. From 1961 to 1971 he was an advertising executive at [[Leo Burnett Worldwide|Leo Burnett Co.]] He was also a trustee of [[Northwestern University]]. He died on November 10, 2013 from complications of a [[brain tumor]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-11-26/news/ct-obit-michael-miles-1126-20131126_1_john-richman-philip-morris-cos-marketing|title=Michael A. Miles, 1939-2013 |author=Bob Goldsborough|publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 26, 2013}}</ref>

==Education==
Miles attended Woodrow Wilson high school in Washington, DC, 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|Medill School of Journalism]].

==Business career==
Miles began his career at [[Leo Burnett]] & Co. 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, then held various roles at [[Heublein]] before being appointed President of the Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1977.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://adage.com/article/news/michael-miles-led-kraft-philip-morris-dies-74/245225/|title=Michael Miles, Who Led Kraft and Philip Morris, Dies at 74|author= Steven R. Strahler|publisher=[[Advertising Age]]|date=November 11, 2013}}</ref>  Through a re-evaluation of corporate strategy and a new marketing campaign declaring "We Do Chicken Right", Miles sparked a turnaround of the struggling KFC, reestablishing the company's relationship with founder [[Colonel Harlan Sanders]] and restoring trust with franchisees.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://csnews.com/former-kraft-philip-morris-ceo-michael-miles-passes-away|title=Former Kraft & Philip Morris CEO Michael Miles Passes Away|publisher=Convenience Store News |date=November 12, 2013}}</ref> He is in large part responsible for the company's large market share today.

In 1983, Mr. Miles was hired away from KFC by [[Dart & Kraft]] Co., where he became president and Chief Executive in 1985. He helped to orchestrate the $13 billion merger of Philip Morris and Kraft in 1988, at the time one of the largest merger deals in history.  He became Chairman and CEO 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, CVS, and Sears Roebuck, among multiple others. In 1993, his decision as CEO of Philip 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.

==Personal life==
Miles met his wife, Pamela, while they were both undergraduates at Northwestern University. They enjoyed 52 years of marriage, and have two sons, Michael and Christopher, as well as 5 grandsons.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.timewarner.com/corp/management/board_directors/bio/miles_michael.html Time Warner]

{{Philip Morris International}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Michael A.}}
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Kraft Foods people]]
[[Category:KFC people]]
[[Category:Philip Morris USA]]
[[Category:Medill School of Journalism alumni]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery people]]