Raj Subramaniam has been named the new CEO of FedEx.
Delivery giant FedEx is all set to get a new Chief Operating Officer (CEO) in Indian-born Raj Subramaniam after Frederick W Smith, chairman and CEO, steps down on June 1. Smith will now be the courier service company’s executive chairman.
Subramaniam currently serves as the company's president and chief operating officer. He will continue to serve as a director on the FedEx board to which he was elected in 2020.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my career to work for Fred and learn from one of the most brilliant business minds of our lifetime. It is an honor to be selected as his successor as CEO of FedEx and to continue delivering the Purple Promise in this new role with Team FedEx,” Subramaniam said in a LinkedIn post after the company announced he will take over as the CEO.
Here’s five things to know about the newest Indian taking over a big US company.
- 56-year-old Subramaniam joined FedEx in 1991 and worked in several marketing and management jobs in the US and other parts of the world. He eventually became the chief marketing and communications officer, and also served as president and CEO of FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company. He rose to become president and chief operating officer in 2019.
- He has served as the president of FedEx Express in Canada and in several other management and marketing roles throughout Asia and US. He was the Vice-President of Marketing at FedEx Express in the Asia Pacific region from 1996 before being promoted to the regional president of Canada in 2003. In 2006, he was made the Senior Vice-President of FedEx services. In 2013, he became the EVP, marketing and communication at the parent company before his promotion to President and COO in 2019.
- Subramaniam is from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram and now lives in Memphis, Tennessee – FedEx’s global headquarters. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from IIT Bombay, a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Syracuse University, and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
- He serves on the board of directors of FedEx Corporation, First Horizon Corporation, the US Chamber of Commerce’s China Center Advisory Board, FIRST, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, and the US-China Business Council. He is also a member of the International Trade Administration’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSCC).
- Subramaniam was honoured with IIT Bombay’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for his achievements in the corporate world. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame at Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis and named a Distinguished Friend of the university in 2016.
