Meet SodexoMAGIC’s president: Selena Cuffe
Selena Cuffe is the new president of SodexoMAGIC, a joint-venture between Magic Johnson Enterprises and Sodexo, Inc.
Cuffe is a visionary leader and avid supporter of global trade, education and exchange. She founded Heritage Link Brands, a successful company that enabled African vintners to market their wines globally. Named the 2009 Black Enterprise “BE Next” Entrepreneur of the Year, she is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an active alumna of both Stanford University and the Harvard Business School and engaged in several community organizations.
We asked her to tell us a bit about her new role and mission.
Q: Why are you joining SodexoMAGIC?
SC: Mr. Earvin “Magic” Johnson has been a hero and role model for as long as I can remember. I grew up in L.A. at the height of the Lakers era, and then I was able to see him come into his own as an entrepreneur. Talk about an inspiration!
Observing him establish Magic Johnson Enterprises and enter into strategic deals within my community further motivated me to pursue a career in business that benefits the greater society. So the opportunity to learn from one of the most extraordinary businessmen of our time, while leveraging my culinary passion and 20 years of experience within the food industry, is like a dream come true.
As a businesswoman, I have to say I’m also excited to be partnering with global powerhouse, Sodexo. It sets the standard in so many areas – customer service, employee engagement, diversity & inclusion, global scope. From its humble beginnings as a small shipping-supply company to its current reach, providing everything from food and facilities services to incentive programs and employee benefits across the globe, it still retains the core principle of its success: deliver services that directly improve the lives of individual people. Making consumers at client organizations happy and productive is how Sodexo adds the greatest value to clients.
Those Sodexo values combined with SodexoMAGIC’s mission – to provide solutions that improve quality of life and positively impact the communities we serve – speaks to who I am as a person.
Q. How will your entrepreneurial experience fuel your work with SodexoMAGIC?
SC: I think what makes an entrepreneur successful is a vision of something better, something beyond what we can see in that moment. It also requires someone to have the fortitude to see that vision through, despite – or in some cases, because of – the challenges.
Leading SodexoMAGIC requires those skills. As a joint venture between Sodexo, a large company with a track record of strong operational excellence and global reach, and Magic Johnson Enterprises, a conglomerate and catalyst for community and economic empowerment, it represents something new and transformational in the business world.
Q. What can clients and partners expect with you at the helm?
SC: Short answer: Best in class service.
Longer answer: I see myself as a servant-leader. I believe the key to business success is caring about people – employees, clients, communities, consumers and vendors, alike. That caring starts with keeping open lines of communication so that we have a full understanding of the desired results and any pain points that need to be addressed. I’m all about driving results