Why Adam Miller, CEO of $2.4 Billion Cornerstone OnDemand, Might Just Be The Coolest SaaS CEO Out There

Before cloud computing was called cloud computing, Adam Miller, the President and CEO of now multi-billion-dollar enterprise software provider Cornerstone On Demand, founded the company in his one-bedroom apartment. In 1999, Miller turned his idea into an over $2.2 billion reality, building talent management software that is now used by over 30 million users in 191 countries.

Prior to founding Cornerstone, Miller held a career as an investment banker and a consultant, but he wasn’t always a suit-and-tie kind of guy. In fact, the software executive says it was his two year trip around the world in his twenties that best prepared him to run a global business. It also doesn’t hurt that Miller has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, a BS from the Wharton School of Business, a JD from the UCLA School of Law, an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business and has both CPA and Series 7 Certifications.

As the long-running CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, Miller finds the time to lecture on entrepreneurship, philanthropy, technology and talent management. He has written various books and articles, including co-authoring Business Capital for Women and contributing to Talent Management: Strategies for Success from Six Leading Companies.

With Miller at the helm, Santa Monica, Calif.-based Cornerstone has mushroomed at a compounded annual growth rate of over 50% since 2007, with a team which operates in over 24 countries. The tech CEO, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three kids, has a passion for leading teams and helping projects and individuals reach their potential.

“I love coaching people; whether it’s corporate execs, startup founders of kids on the soccer field,” says the CEO, who also coaches his children’s AYSO and tournament soccer teams.

Miller has helped lead strategy, sales, operations and product development at Cornerstone since its inception, keeping a keen focus on client success and product excellence in order to earn one of the top client retention rates in the industry.

In 2015, Miller wrote a post for Fortune titled “3 things Millennials want in a career (hint: it’s not more money),” reflecting his values in suggesting that corporations need to rethink their strategy in attracting new top talent. The tech CEO urges leaders to take a more open-minded approach to workforce management and compensation. He proposes that leaders ditch a strict nine-to-five requirement in place for an emphasis on output and unlimited vacation policies, offer rich learning experiences that tap into employee interests and career goals, make clear its employees’ purpose and integrate a social mission into their business.

As an avid social entrepreneur, Miller also serves as the chairman of Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, which “helps people who help people,” with a focus on education, workforce development and disaster relief. He is the current chairman of Team Rubicon, a leading veteran’s services organization providing humanitarian aid globally. Having led the merger of FAAN and FAI, Miller serves on the executive board of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). Alongside his work with FARE, Miller had a large role in seeding Aimmune Therapeutics and creating the UCLA Food Allergy Center. He also serves as the current director and was the past-president of IKAR in Los Angeles, an organization made popular as an anti-institutional spiritual community, which has roots in the Jewish tradition.

Miller has integrated his passion for health and wellness into his business life, serving on the board of directors at MINDBODY, a provider of business management software for the wellness services industry.

In 2017, Miller was awarded the 2017 Best Practices Institute CEO Award, adding to a list of titles including Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011 and CEO of the Year by the Southern California Technology Association in 2009.