Keniro Miller is a powerhouse in human resources, boasting a career spanning more than two decades with some of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands. He is a driving force in human resources practices, transforming how elite companies manage their most valuable asset: their people.
Most recently, Miller served as the vice president of human resources at French luxury company Cartier, leading the commercial HR function for the Americas region and overseeing talent management, employee engagement, and organizational development initiatives supporting luxury brands’ growth and performance. He has over 15 years of global HR experience across retail, professional services, leisure, and tourism sectors, working with high-profile and high-value clients and partners. Keniro recently returned to London and is currently consulting for a new venture with renowned Nick Jones who is a notable British entrepreneur and restaurateur, best known as the founder of Soho House, a private members’ club, while Keniro prepares for his next move.
“My core competencies include designing and implementing HR agendas and projects, aligning people strategies to business cycles, and driving transformation, transition, and process redesign to achieve tangible business benefits and value,” Miller said. “I am a results-driven leader with exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive and sustainable relationships at all levels. I have global exposure and experience within a generalist capacity, primarily in the UK, with strong exposure and experience of over 15 years in North America, Europe, and APAC. I am passionate about creating inclusive and diverse cultures that foster innovation and excellence.”
Background and Experience
The path to HR leadership for Keniro Miller was unconventional, marked by a series of discoveries that shaped his career and led him to where he is today. With a background in business management and aspirations of reaching the top as a Chief People Officer and eventually exploring roles such as CEO or COO, Miller found that HR has the perfect blend of his commercial interests and his passion for people. His commitment to diversity and inclusion drives his work. He is dedicated to creating corporate structures that foster employee growth and success.
“The brilliance of HR is the ability to translate business strategies into people-focused plans and programs,” Miller explains. This dual focus gives him “the best of both worlds,” allowing him to design pathways that enable the workforce to deliver on strategic goals while ensuring the right people, capabilities, and infrastructure are in place to support growth.
The global business leader was drawn to human resources because he saw it as a way to secure a seat at the leadership table. He saw the potential to collaborate with the board and contribute a valuable, people-oriented perspective. His unique position allows him to confidently bridge the gap between business objectives and employee needs, creating a synergy that drives organizational success.
Keniro Miller Navigates Prestigious Brands with Strategic HR Leadership
Miller’s career has taken him through high-profile roles at renowned companies. From 2014 to 2018, he served as Head of HR at Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, where he was the global lead for aviation. Following this, he took on the role of Head of HR at TUI Travel, overseeing the largest corporate area of product, offering over one million products alone in Europe, he also supported the commercial, legal, and European Destination Management operations.
His most transformative experience came at Soho House & Co., where he initially accepted a role supporting the Chief People Officer. This decision led to rapid advancement, with Miller becoming the HR Director for the UK and Europe within a year and later being promoted to Global People Director for the group leading HR for all the brands that sit under the Soho House umbrella. “I helped lead Soho House through major milestones – an IPO, the COVID-19 pandemic, global expansions, restructures, and the implementation of 33 new progressive policies and a global handbook,” Miller recounts. This experience showcased Miller’s ability to handle complex HR challenges and prepared him for even greater responsibilities.
His reputation in the industry led him to be named VP of Human Resources at Cartier in 2023, overseeing North and South America. This position at one of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands is proof of Miller’s expertise and reputation in the HR field for which he secured an O Visa which is only granted to individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement within their field. It is primarily used by people in the arts, sciences, education, business, or athletics who have demonstrated a high level of expertise and have been recognized for their accomplishments.
Keniro Miller Tackles Global Crises with People-First Approach
Keniro Miller’s tenure at Soho House coincided with the most challenging period in recent history – the COVID-19 pandemic. His resilient and adaptable approach to this crisis exemplifies his leadership style and values, reassuring the audience of his ability to navigate through tough times.
“Navigating a global workforce through the COVID-19 pandemic was a commercially challenging time,” Miller shares. “But our primary focus remained on supporting our people.” His team distributed grocery packages to employees in countries lacking robust furlough schemes and redeployed staff to reduce negative impacts.
Perhaps most importantly, Miller ensured that the company’s response to the crisis was guided by a clear set of priorities. “Every commercial decision was made with the well-being of our people as the top priority,” he emphasizes.
Miller’s crisis management strategy extends beyond company-wide initiatives to his personal style of leadership. Recognizing that stress can be contagious in an organization, especially during challenging times, Miller has developed a proactive way of managing stress for himself and his team.
“When the stress becomes negative, I ensure I check in with my team,” Miller shares. “I know that if I’m feeling stressed, they likely are as well.” This empathetic approach to leadership allows Miller to address potential issues before they escalate, fostering a supportive work environment even in high-pressure situations.
How Keniro Miller Champions Diversity and Inclusion in Corporate Culture
Throughout his career, Keniro Miller has been a steadfast advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Having come from a multicultural background himself and growing up in several different countries resulting in a blend of cultural influences in his upbringing, his efforts have gone beyond rhetoric, translating into concrete actions and policies that make everyone feel included and valued.
At Soho House, Miller was crucial in implementing a comprehensive diversity pledge. “We were among the first to implement a diversity pledge,” he recalled. “This pledge included multiple commitments that we would hold ourselves accountable to, both internally and externally, to ensure a fair and balanced environment where everyone could thrive.”
The scope of this pledge was impressively broad, covering various aspects of the employee lifecycle and even extending to external community engagement. To ensure its effectiveness and sustainability, Soho House took an innovative approach to its implementation and oversight. “We formed a committee with internal employees and external Soho House members to help us uphold these commitments,” he says.
Miller’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is rooted in his belief that true business success goes beyond financial metrics.
The Future of HR According to Keniro Miller
As Miller continues to shape the HR field globally, he focuses on aligning people strategies with business cycles and delivering tangible value. His method is characterized by a relentless curiosity and a willingness to question established norms. “Continuously asking ‘why’ is one core value for me,” he explains. “I never accept being told; instead, I question everything, recognizing that the journey of reasoning can often impart more valuable lessons than the final answer itself.”
In Miller’s view, effective HR leadership is about knowing when to take charge and when to step back. “I strongly believe in knowing when to step up and lead,” he says. “I’m not afraid to take the initiative, share ideas, and empower others. But great leadership also means knowing when to step back and follow, empowering my team to contribute their ideas – which may be even better than my own, allowing me to learn in the process.”
With his exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to build sustainable relationships, Miller is positioned to continue creating inclusive, innovative cultures that empower excellence on a global scale. His approach illuminates the transformative power of putting people at the heart of business strategy.
