Former AutoNation CEO Cheryl Miller lands new CFO job

Former AutoNation Inc. CEO Cheryl Miller — who left the auto retail giant in 2020 after a year in the job and later was JM Family Enterprises’ CFO before leaving after a few months — has landed a new executive job.

Miller, 49, was named CFO of West Marine Inc., the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., boating and fishing supply retailer said Tuesday.

“Cheryl brings a wealth of financial leadership, operational excellence and digital transformation experience that will help us build upon our leadership position,” Eric Kufel, CEO of West Marine, said in a statement. “Her proven track record of performance, along with her passion for boating, makes her an ideal addition to the executive team during this exciting period of growth for the company.”

West Marine has nearly 240 locations in 38 states and Puerto Rico, plus two e-commerce platforms, and sells gear for boating, fishing and sailing.

Miller, a longtime AutoNation executive and CFO for several years, was named chief executive of the nation’s largest new-vehicle retailer in July 2019, following the abrupt departure of auto industry outsider Carl Liebert. He had been hired as AutoNation CEO just months earlier to replace longtime chief Mike Jackson.

Miller in April 2020 requested and was granted a medical leave of absence from AutoNation. She did not return to the company, resigning as CEO and from the board of directors that July.

In January 2021, she joined JM Family, a diversified, automotive-focused conglomerate in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Just three months later, however, she resigned from JM Family, saying she was doing so to “spend more time with family and on other future endeavors” but would remain a consultant through the end of 2021.

Miller, who had worked for JM Family earlier in her career before joining AutoNation, has served on the board of Tyson Foods Inc. since 2016. Last August, she joined the board of beverage maker Celsius Holdings Inc.