Raj Subramaniam

Raj Subramaniam
Subramaniam in 2023
Born
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Alma mater
OccupationCEO
Years active1991–present
OrganizationFedEx
PredecessorFred Smith
Websitefedex.com/raj-subramaniam

Rajesh Subramaniam is the CEO and President of the FedEx Corporation. Prior to this position, he held many organizational management and marketing roles in Asia and the US at FedEx.

Early life and education

Subramaniam was born in Thiruvananthapuram, India into a Malayali Hindu family.[1] His father worked in the Indian Police Service and his mother worked as a doctor in Kerala Health Services.[2] He attended the Loyola School in the city.[2][3] At age 15, he moved to Mumbai, where he completed his high school at SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Sion(W), and afterwards attended IIT Bombay, graduating with a B.Tech. in chemical engineering in 1987.[4][5][6]

He moved to the United States on a scholarship to Syracuse University and earned an MS in chemical engineering in 1989.[7][8] He also earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin during the early 1990s recession.[9] His father retired as DGP of Kerala and his mother as additional director, Kerala Health Services.[2] His wife Uma and his brother Rajeev also work at FedEx.[2]

Career

Subramaniam joined FedEx in 1991 as an associate marketing analyst. He quickly rose through the ranks and held several management and marketing roles in Asia and the US. Beginning in 1996, he served as the vice-president of Marketing at FedEx Express in the Asia-Pacific region, and was then appointed as the regional president of Canada in 2003. From 2013 to 2019, he served as the Executive VP, marketing and communication.[10][11]

In late 2018, he was promoted to the CEO of FedEx's legacy Express business.[12] After retirement of David J. Bronczek in 2019, Subramaniam was named the COO.[13][14] He joined the FedEx board in January 2020.[9][15]

Subramaniam replaced FedEx founder Fred Smith as the President and CEO on June 1, 2022.[16][17][18] In 2023, Subramaniam's total compensation at FedEx was $13.2 million, or 289 times the median employee pay at FedEx for that year.[19]

He serves on the board of directors of FedEx Corporation, FIRST, the United States Chamber of Commerce's China Center Advisory Board, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, and the US-China Business Council. He currently serves as a member of the President's Export Council.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Who is Raj Subramaniam, the Indian-origin boss appointed as the new CEO of FedEx?". The Economic Times. March 29, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Be humble always, former DGP C Subramaniam tells son Raj as he becomes FedEx CEO". Manorama. March 30, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Meet Raj Subramaniam: New FedEx CEO a Keralite". The New Indian Express. March 30, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. ^ "The IITian on his journey from IIT Bombay to leadership in Logistics & Transportation". PanIIT USA (Interview). May 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Rajghatta, Chidanand (March 30, 2022). "FedEx CEO: FedEx picks IIT alumnus Raj Subramaniam to be CEO". The Times of India. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Sharma, Niharika (March 30, 2022). "IIT-ian Raj Subramaniam's journey to the top at FedEx". Quartz. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Congratulations to chemical engineering alum Raj Subramaniam G'89!". Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science. Twitter. March 30, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Dunbar, Alex (May 25, 2023). "Dean J. Cole Smith Talks With FedEx President and CEO Raj Subramaniam G'89 About Leadership and Advice for Current Students". Syracuse University News. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Ziobro, Paul (March 12, 2020). "The Man Behind the Plan to Remake FedEx". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2022. (subscription required)
  10. ^ Thomas, K. Sunil (October 14, 2021). "This is just the beginning: Rajesh Subramaniam". The Week. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "Who is Raj Subramaniam, the Indian-origin boss appointed as the new CEO of FedEx?". The Economic Times. March 29, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Chamlou, Nina (December 7, 2018). "FedEx's David Cunningham to retire, be replaced by Raj Subramaniam". Air Cargo World. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  13. ^ Garland, Max (February 14, 2019). "FedEx tabs Express CEO Raj Subramaniam as president and COO, succeeds retiring Bronczek". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "New FedEx COO has long history with the company". WMC-TV. February 15, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Watts, Micaela A. (March 28, 2022). "FedEx founder Fred Smith to step down as CEO; Raj Subramaniam to succeed him". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Robertson, Jenny (March 28, 2022). "Raj Subramaniam to Become President and CEO of FedEx Corporation; Frederick W. Smith to Serve as Executive Chairman". Business Wire (Press release). Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  17. ^ "Raj Subramaniam to become President and CEO of FedEx Corporation; Frederick W. Smith to serve as Executive Chairman". FedEx Newsroom (Press release). March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Baertlein, Lisa (March 29, 2022). "FedEx names Raj Subramaniam as CEO, replacing founder Fred Smith". Reuters. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  19. ^ Anderson, Sarah (August 29, 2024). "Executive Excess 2024: The "Low Wage 100" corporations are enriching CEOs at the expense of workers and long-term investment" (PDF). Institute for Policy Studies. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  20. ^ "President's Export Council Members". International Trade Administration. 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.