Miller stepping down as CEO of Invest Puerto Rico on June 30
The Board of Directors of Invest Puerto Rico announced that Rodrick Miller will not renew his contract as CEO of the entity after it expires on June 30.
He will be succeeded by Ella Woger-Nieves, InvestPR’s current COO, who will continue to lead the organization as acting CEO.
Woger-Nieves has led InvestPR ‘s operations since its inception in 2018 and has been instrumental in the organization’s development as its COO. She has more than 20 years of international experience in marketing and strategic consulting.
The Board stated InvestPR’s stability is locked down after having built organizational capacity with a team of outstanding professionals, defined its strategic promotion plan, and secured important achievements that have impacted the local economy.
Miller was hired by the InvestPR Board in 2019 “to lead the launch of a world-class investment attraction plan for Puerto Rico, leveraging his proven experience of more than 20 years leading high-impact economic development organizations nationwide.”
Prior to arriving at InvestPR, Miller was directly involved in the transformation of cities such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; Detroit after bankruptcy; and Puerto Rico after the approval of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), Hurricane Maria, and amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
During his tenure, Miller established a fully operational organization, hired top talent, developed and implemented a data-driven promotion plan focused on strategic sectors, and transferred valuable economic development knowledge to the team to continue initiatives, successfully completing the objectives for InvestPR’s initial phase.
In three years of operation, Miller led initiatives that have resulted in 1,200 new businesses, $330 million in investment capital, and 8,500 committed jobs with average annual payroll of $60,000, InvestPR’s board stated.
“I’m extremely proud of everything that Puerto Rico has accomplished in these past three years to accelerate its economic development. Puerto Ricans’ spirit of resilience is in large part the reason the island has overcome challenges like María, the fiscal crisis, and the pandemic,” said Miller.
“That ability to adapt is precisely the key ingredient that is driving the island’s transformation as a world-class investment destination and as a global center for innovation and development that competes at the international level. I depart from InvestPR after building a highly committed team, capable of continuing the mission,” he said.
Miller’s list of achievements at InvestPR include attracting to Puerto Rico new companies, such as bioscience manufacturers CytoImmune, Ocyonbio, and Aurobindo, Amazon Web Services, and dozens more in the technology, finance, and export services sectors.
He also led key efforts to match Puerto Rico’s posture to other investment attraction markets through the development and use of technologies that facilitate lead generation, as well as initiatives to improve the island’s competitiveness and its brand positioning as investment destination.
These include the creation the Impeller digital platform that connects investors from all over the world with local companies seeking capital, the acquisition of artificial intelligence tools to connect with prospects and achieve results even during the pandemic, as well as the “Game-Changers, Welcome Home” brand campaign, which repositioned the island’s value proposition by reframing Puerto Rico as a center of innovation for entrepreneurs.
“Rodrick has led Puerto Rico’s repositioning abroad at a critical moment. Beyond leveraging tools such as incentives, Rodrick bet on the island’s value proposition — its human capital, a robust business ecosystem, 21st-century infrastructure in development, the strength of our professional networks, and other assets — to elevate Puerto Rico as an undeniable investment destination,” said Department of Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Manuel Cidre, who chairs the InvestPR Board.
“He leaves an exemplary model that InvestPR will follow to continue reaping successes in job creation and investment opportunities for Puerto Rico,” he said.
