On February 15, 2024, Wesleyan College had the priviledge of hosting Mia Mends for this year's installment of the Gail Thompson Webster-Patterson Endowed Lecture in Business. Her testimony serves as an inspiration to all of us in defying the odds, resliency and passion.

As Chief Executive Officer, C&W Services, a division of Cushman & Wakefield, Mia Mends oversees facilities services operations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, with nearly 13,000 employees serving clients across a variety of industries. 

Prior to joining C&W Services, Mia spent a decade in senior leadership roles at Sodexo, including Global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of North America. As CAO, she designed an integrated target operating model for the $10 billion business while leading the productivity and performance of 160,000 employees. She also served as CEO of Impact Ventures, which included leading SodexoMagic, a joint venture between Sodexo and Magic Johnson Enterprise. Mia also oversaw various P&L, growth and transformation initiatives for the organization, across various entities, including in Brazil, where she lived for 3 years. 

Mia serves on the board of directors for the EMERGE Fellows program and on the Business Leadership Council at Wellesley College. She is also a corporate director at H&R Block and Limeade Inc. 

Mia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College. She has been named by Black Enterprise as one of the Most Powerful Women in Corporate America and is a featured trailblazer in the book, Women Mean Business: Over 500 Insights from Extraordinary Leaders to Spark Your Success. 

Mia is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese.