MIA MENDS

Mia Mends, a global transformation executive and trailblazer, is known for her purpose-driven leadership, strategic turnarounds, and unique human touch. As CEO of C&W Services, Mia oversees integrated facilities services in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and Canada. She leads approximately 13,000 team members serving clients across various industries, setting the company’s strategic course for profitable growth and innovation amid an ever-changing landscape.

Hired in June 2022, Mia became the first black woman to run a major facilities management corporation: C&W Services is a subsidiary of Cushman & Wakefield, the global commercial real estate firm generating over $10 billion in annual revenue, with 50,000 employees in 60 countries. She is a member of its Global Management Team.

With over 20 years of experience in P&L, Transformation, and Operations, Mia has spearheaded complex initiatives in multiple global organizations. She’s worked at Citibank, the Ritz Carlton, United Airlines, and the payments company, Noventis. Before joining C&W Services, Mia spent a decade in senior leadership roles at Sodexo, the food services and facilities management company headquartered in France, with 450,000 employees globally. She started at the multinational organization in Brazil, overseeing sales in eight Latin American countries while learning Spanish and Portuguese. Her other positions at Sodexo included Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of North America, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and CEO of Impact Ventures, which included oversight of SodexoMagic, a joint venture with Magic Johnson Enterprises.

An H&R Block corporate director, Mia also serves on the board of EMERGE, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged students enter top colleges. She founded a nonprofit, Seven Sisters to Sisters. Mia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, where she sits on its Business Leadership Council. Mia, who lives in Houston, speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Fante.