Mia Mends
H&R BLOCKAbout Mia F. Mends
Mia F. Mends (age 50) has served on H&R Block’s Board since 2021; she is an independent director serving on the Audit Committee and the Governance & Nominating (G&N) Committee . She holds a BA in Economics from Wellesley College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and brings expertise in business transformation, strategy, corporate social responsibility, and operational experience in financial services .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cushman & Wakefield plc (C&W Services) | Chief Executive Officer, C&W Services | Current | Leads facilities services unit; operational leadership |
| Sodexo Inc. | Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer; CEO, Impact Ventures | May 2021 – Jun 2022 | Led global D&I and impact ventures strategy |
| Sodexo Inc. | Chief Administrative Officer, North America; Leader of SodexoMAGIC JV | Jul 2019 – May 2021 | Administrative leadership; JV oversight with Magic Johnson Enterprises |
| Sodexo Inc. | CEO, Benefits & Rewards Services | 2015 – 2019 | P&L leadership for benefits/rewards |
| Sodexo Inc. | VP, Sales, Americas (São Paulo, Brazil) | 2012 – 2015 | Regional sales leadership |
| Noventis Inc. | General Manager, Prepaid Debit Card Division | Prior to 2012 | Payments operations leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMERGE Fellows | Board member | Current | Education/non-profit governance |
| Wellesley College | Business Leadership Council | Current | Leadership council member |
| Harvard Business School | Alumni Board | Current | Alumni governance |
| SEP Acquisition Corp. | Former corporate director | Prior service | Corporate board experience |
| Limeade Inc. | Former corporate director | Prior service | Corporate board experience |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Mends is independent under NYSE listing standards and H&R Block’s Independence Standards; all Audit and G&N Committee members are independent .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; G&N Committee member (not chair) .
- Meetings and attendance: FY2025 Board held 6 meetings; each incumbent director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; overall attendance exceeded 95% . All current directors virtually attended last year’s annual meeting .
- Board leadership and evaluation: H&R Block requires an independent Chairman; annual Board/committee/Chair evaluations are overseen by the G&N Committee, with periodic independent third-party facilitation .
- Risk oversight: Audit oversees ERM (including data/cybersecurity); G&N oversees governance and ESG matters; Compensation oversees compensation risk; Finance oversees capital allocation risk .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | $107,500 | $107,500 |
| Stock Awards ($) (DSUs grant-date fair value) | $193,767 | $196,813 |
| All Other Compensation ($) | $5,000 | $4,500 |
| Total ($) | $306,267 | $308,813 |
- Director pay structure: Annual cash retainer $85,000; annual equity retainer $190,000 in DSUs; member retainers Audit $15,000 and G&N $7,500; DSUs are fully vested when granted and payable in stock six months after service ends; dividend equivalents accrue until payout .
- Ownership guidelines (directors): Must hold qualifying equity equal to 5x annual cash retainer; covered shares must be retained until guideline met; hedging and pledging prohibited .
Performance Compensation
| Component | Structure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-based Cash/Equity | None for non-employee directors | HRB director compensation consists of cash retainers and DSUs; no options or PSUs for directors . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Type | Current/Former | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP Acquisition Corp. | Public company (SPAC) – former director | Former | No HRB related-party transactions disclosed . |
| Limeade Inc. | Public company – former director | Former | No HRB related-party transactions disclosed . |
| EMERGE Fellows; Wellesley BLC; HBS Alumni Board | Non-profit/academic | Current | No conflicts disclosed . |
- Related party transactions: Company reports no related party transactions since start of FY2025, other than compensation items in CD&A; directors who are related parties recuse from reviews under policy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Skills matrix: Operating experience; executive leadership; accounting/financial expertise; public company board & corporate governance; ESG expertise .
- Professional credentials: CEO-level operating leadership in facilities services (C&W Services); transformation/strategy/CSR leadership; prior financial services operations/payments experience .
Equity Ownership
| As of Sept 15, 2025 | Beneficially Owned Shares | Share Units & Equivalents | Total | % of Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mia F. Mends | 0 | 24,301 | 24,301 | <1% |
| Context (as of Jun 30, 2025) | DSUs Outstanding |
|---|---|
| Mia F. Mends | 24,147 |
- Director ownership policy: Retain covered shares until 5x cash retainer guideline met; hedging and pledging prohibited .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director on Audit and G&N—positions central to financial integrity, ERM, board evaluation, and ESG oversight; strong attendance; robust ownership/insider trading policies reduce alignment and risk concerns .
- Alignment: DSU-based equity aligns director compensation with shareholder value; director ownership guideline (5x cash retainer) and prohibition on hedging/pledging support skin-in-the-game and discourage misalignment .
- Potential concerns/monitorables: External full-time CEO role may pose time-commitment risk, but Board guidelines restrict service on >3 other public boards and all directors are evaluated annually; no disclosed related-party transactions mitigate conflict concerns .
- Investor confidence signals: Strong say-on-pay support historically (98% approval at 2024 annual meeting), indicating broad shareholder alignment with governance and pay practices, which supports overall board credibility .