Strong Leadership Is Important to Navigating Through Change

Companies must find ways to continuously move forward and evolve, and they want team members who are willing to take that journey with them. That is one of the driving beliefs Cindy Miller lives by, and her agility when embracing change in the face of challenges is one of many values she brought to Stericycle when she joined in 2018.

Cindy, who was promoted to CEO in May 2019, has spent the last year working closely with the leadership team to lay the groundwork for the future of Stericycle and ensuring that every part of the business is able to support the mission of protecting what matters. To do that, Cindy has shifted our focus to our core solutions—medical waste and secure information destruction.

While evolving the company for future growth, Cindy has shown that commitment to transparency is critical. By being transparent, team members and customers understand why changes are made and what impact they will have moving forward. Under her leadership, we’ve seen improved service levels and team member safety. Moreover, by refocusing the company on its core services, Stericycle is making sure it is easier for customers to work with us and to continue to provide valued services that help customers protect their business.

Cindy will continue to position Stericycle for strength in the future through her transparent leadership style, but it was her upbringing that laid the foundation for her work ethic and leadership philosophies.

Leadership Built on a Solid Foundation

Cindy’s leadership style is not something that emerged overnight. It stems from an upbringing and subsequent career rooted in the principles of dedication, hard work and collaboration. Raised in a northeast Pennsylvania coal mining town, her grandparents also shaped her by demonstrating the importance of being humble and admitting mistakes. But it was her father that taught Cindy about the ability to transform yourself. Her father, who was a Marine and later became an entrepreneur, had to rapidly adapt and be flexible as business conditions changed – both through good times and bad. She also saw how fleeting success could be without proper planning.

From Front-Line Worker to Chief Executive Office

In 1988, Cindy took a job as a UPS driver and quickly rose up the company’s ranks. A mentor early in her career advised Cindy that success is built upon the idea that you should say “yes” more often than you say “no.” Since there are enough career roadblocks that occur naturally, Cindy learned not to introduce additional ones along the way. By accepting various opportunities, Cindy has built, and continues to build, a portfolio of knowledge and experiences that have expanded her overall capabilities as a leader.

During her time at UPS, she was sent all over the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the United Kingdom, tasked with helping locations that were struggling with labor issues, low performance or declining business. She became a positive disrupter, bringing transformative ideas to the table that lead to meaningful change. Across her 30 years at UPS, Miller developed a unique communication and engagement style that helped her to direct teams to achieve goals and drive results.

Cindy’s journey brought her to Stericycle, where she was impressed by the company’s dedication to its mission. Her years of experience, unique communication and engagement style helps her direct teams to achieve goals and drive results in her latest role of Chief Executive Officer.

Learn More About Cindy’s Leadership Journey

Under Cindy’s leadership, Stericycle has refined the way we approach safety and focus on our core solutions. Her commitment to teamwork, transparency, and saying yes to opportunities have been especially valuable in preserving customer, employee, and environmental safety. Cindy Miller’s leadership will continue to be essential as she unites and motivates us on the Stericycle team all to achieve more than we thought possible.

For more information about how Stericycle is charting a new course under Cindy’s leadership listen to her recent interview with Fox News radio about her career and her vision for the future of the waste management industry, available as a podcast here.