Motor sports world body appoints Jamaican Onika Miller

The appointment of Miller, which takes effect February 1, 2021, is seen as a need to “strengthen the Fund’s team” FIA President Jean Todt writes in its latest edition of its monthly magazine.

The FIA is world governing body for motor sports and road safety.

She joined the FIA as head of the FIA Innovation Fund in March 2020.  In that position, she was jointly responsible along with the former secretary general, for Automobile Mobility and Tourism, the secretary general for motor sport; and the chief administrative officer for administration of the FIA.

Headquartered in Paris, the FIA is a non-profit making organisation. It brings together more than 237 national motoring and sporting organisations, from 142 countries on five continents. One of the core responsibilities of the FIA is the development of motor sports worldwide. Through its national member clubs, FIA is involved at every level of motor sport.

As secretary-general for Automobile Mobility and Tourism, Miller will be responsible for the activities of the FIA’s mobility division , which include: facilitating the effective exchange of information and best practices  among motoring organisations across the world; representing member clubs at the international  and multilateral fora;  and road safety; as well as co-operation for common strategies, public policies, and initiatives. 

Miller joined the Jamaica National Building Society in 2015 as executive, government relations and public policy.  In that role, she focused on strategic engagements with government agencies and other public sector entities; developed strategies to identify and create new business opportunities for JN; as well as, maintained linkages with regulators, governing bodies and corporate entities. 

With the restructuring of The Jamaica National Group on February 1, 2017, Miller was appointed managing director of the MCS Group, the non-financial holding company of The Jamaica National Group. In that role she provided oversight of the JN Group’s non-financial companies, including the Jamaica Automobile Association, a mobility service provider and member of the FIA.

Before joining the JN Group, she served as permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, where she provided technical and policy support to three prime ministers over the course of approximately six years.

As permanent secretary and accounting officer, she was responsible for the direct management and control of the Office of the Prime Minister; and for the supervision and oversight of the various public bodies within the portfolio of the Ministry. Miller also provided technical support and advice in regard to the visits of heads of government. Additionally, on many occasions, she represented Jamaica in bilateral meetings with government leaders of CARICOM countries, and with the heads of state of several other countries.

As a sure-footed public servant, employed to the Government of Jamaica from 1996, she also worked in several other capacities, including as chief technical director of the Office of the Cabinet, and director of the Local Government Reform Programme.

Miller was also the chairperson of the policy committee of the Permanent Secretaries Board.  She previously served as a board member on several public bodies, including the Petro-Caribe Development Fund, Jamaica Social Investment Fund, Jamaica National Heritage Trust and Fiscal Services Limited.