Raj Subramaniam

Raj Subramaniam
Subramaniam in 2023
Raj Subramaniam
Born	Rajesh Subramaniam 14 9, 1967
Birthplace	Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	President and CEO, FedEx Corporation
Known for	Leading FedEx Corporation as CEO
Education	University of Texas at Austin (MBA)
Website	[https://www.fedex.com/en-us/about/leadership/raj-subramaniam.html Official site]

Rajesh "Raj" Subramaniam (born September 14, 1967) is an Indian-American business executive who serves as the president and chief executive officer of FedEx Corporation, one of the world's largest transportation and logistics companies. He assumed the role in June 2022, succeeding the company's founder, Frederick W. Smith, who had led FedEx for nearly five decades. Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, Subramaniam was educated at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Syracuse University, and the University of Texas at Austin before joining FedEx in 1991. Over a career spanning more than three decades at the company, he held a series of organizational management and marketing positions across Asia and the United States, rising through the ranks to become president and chief operating officer before his appointment as CEO. As CEO, Subramaniam has overseen a major corporate transformation initiative, navigated shifts in global trade patterns driven by technology and tariffs, and articulated a vision for FedEx in what he has described as an era of "re-globalization."

Early Life

Rajesh Subramaniam was born on September 14, 1967, in Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum), the capital city of the southern Indian state of Kerala. His family background in Kerala shaped his early years, and upon his appointment as FedEx CEO, his father publicly expressed pride in his son's achievement while emphasizing the importance of remaining humble. Reports from Indian media at the time of his CEO appointment noted Subramaniam's roots in Kerala and described him as part of a growing number of Indian-origin executives leading major American corporations.

Subramaniam grew up in India before pursuing higher education, first within the country at one of India's premier engineering institutions and subsequently in the United States. His trajectory from Thiruvananthapuram to the helm of a Fortune 500 company followed a path taken by several Indian-born technology and business leaders who studied engineering in India before completing graduate studies in the United States.

Education

Subramaniam earned a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), one of India's most selective engineering institutions. He then moved to the United States, where he completed a Master of Science (MS) degree at Syracuse University. Syracuse University has recognized him as a notable alumnus, designating him as a member of the class of 1989 (G'89). Subramaniam later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

In a 2026 interview with Fortune magazine, Subramaniam referenced his educational background and also described his experience working closely with FedEx founder Fred Smith as a form of "CEO school," underscoring the mentorship he received within the company as complementary to his formal academic training.

Career

Early Career at FedEx (1991–2018)

Subramaniam joined FedEx in 1991 and spent the next three decades advancing through various leadership roles within the company's global operations. His career at FedEx encompassed positions in organizational management and marketing across both Asia and the United States, giving him extensive experience with the company's international operations during a period of significant globalization in the logistics industry.

During his years rising through FedEx's ranks, Subramaniam developed expertise in the company's express delivery, ground transportation, and freight operations. His roles in Asia provided him with firsthand experience of the rapid growth in international shipping and e-commerce that characterized the late 1990s and 2000s. A 2019 Wall Street Journal profile described Subramaniam as a key figure behind strategic planning efforts to reshape FedEx's operations.

President and COO of FedEx Express (2019)

In February 2019, Subramaniam was named president and chief operating officer of FedEx Corporation, a promotion that positioned him as one of the most senior executives at the company. The appointment came as part of a broader leadership transition at FedEx, following the retirement of David Cunningham from FedEx Express. In the COO role, Subramaniam assumed responsibility for overseeing the company's major operating subsidiaries, including FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services.

The Wall Street Journal in 2020 profiled Subramaniam as the architect of a comprehensive plan to restructure FedEx's operations, noting his central role in developing strategies to improve efficiency and competitiveness in the face of growing competition from Amazon and other logistics providers. His time as president and COO served as a period during which he became the public face of FedEx's operational strategy, working closely with founder Fred Smith who remained as chairman and CEO.

CEO of FedEx Corporation (2022–present)

On March 28, 2022, FedEx announced that Subramaniam would succeed Frederick W. Smith as president and CEO of FedEx Corporation, effective June 1, 2022. Smith, who founded FedEx in 1971 and had led the company for nearly 50 years, transitioned to the role of executive chairman of the board of directors. The transition was also announced via a business wire release, signaling its significance to the investment community.

Subramaniam's appointment made him one of several Indian-origin executives leading major American corporations, a fact noted extensively in Indian and international media coverage. The Economic Times described the appointment as a significant milestone, placing Subramaniam alongside figures such as Sundar Pichai of Alphabet and Satya Nadella of Microsoft in the cohort of Indian-born CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

Corporate Transformation and DRIVE Initiative

As CEO, Subramaniam has overseen a significant restructuring of FedEx's corporate structure and operations. The company embarked on a transformation effort aimed at consolidating its historically separate operating companies — FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Freight — into a more unified organization. This initiative, known internally as DRIVE, was designed to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and create a more integrated network to compete in an evolving logistics landscape.

In a December 2025 interview with CNBC following a quarterly earnings report that exceeded analyst expectations, Subramaniam described FedEx as "the heartbeat of the industrial economy," emphasizing the company's role as a bellwether for global trade and economic activity. The earnings results were seen as evidence that the transformation strategy was beginning to produce tangible financial results.

Views on Globalization and Trade

Subramaniam has been an outspoken commentator on the evolution of global trade, particularly as trade policy shifted under the impact of tariffs and geopolitical tensions. In a January 2026 interview with The New York Times, he described the current environment as an era of "re-globalization" rather than de-globalization, arguing that global supply chains were being restructured rather than dismantled. He took over as CEO three years prior from FedEx's founder, and since that time, the interplay of technology, tariffs, and geopolitical shifts had fundamentally altered the logistics landscape, according to the Times report.

A Fortune article from early 2026 further explored Subramaniam's perspective on adapting to the changing trade environment, noting his view that FedEx was positioned to benefit from the restructuring of global supply chains as companies diversified their manufacturing bases away from heavy reliance on any single country. In that interview, Subramaniam discussed his educational background, including his time at Syracuse and the University of Texas at Austin, while also crediting his years working under Fred Smith as a form of "CEO school" that prepared him for navigating complex global challenges.

Technology and Automation Strategy

Under Subramaniam's leadership, FedEx has pursued the integration of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence and robotics into its operations. However, Subramaniam has adopted a measured approach to emerging technologies such as humanoid robots. In a 2026 statement reported by Yahoo Finance, he said that certain technologies were "not ready for prime time yet," even as FedEx explored the use of what he described as "super humanoid robots" and AI to support its network of approximately 17 million daily deliveries. This stance reflected a pragmatic approach to technology adoption — embracing automation and AI where they had demonstrated reliability while acknowledging the limitations of newer robotic systems in complex logistics environments.

Personal Life

Subramaniam is of Indian origin, born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and subsequently moved to the United States for higher education and his professional career. He resides in the Memphis, Tennessee area, where FedEx is headquartered.

In January 2026, Subramaniam publicly addressed controversy surrounding H-1B visa hiring practices at FedEx. In response to allegations that the company favored Indian candidates at the expense of American workers, Subramaniam stated, "We are a meritocracy," defending the company's hiring practices as based on qualifications and merit rather than national origin. The controversy had drawn attention in December 2025, when critics on social media and in public discourse questioned the proportion of H-1B visa holders employed by FedEx.

Recognition

Subramaniam has received recognition from various institutions throughout his career. As an alumnus of IIT Bombay, he has been noted by the IIT Alumni Association and featured in their publications, reflecting his prominence among graduates of India's premier engineering institutions. Syracuse University has similarly recognized him as a notable graduate, featuring a conversation between Subramaniam and the university's engineering dean in 2023.

In October 2025, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a prominent Washington, D.C.-based think tank, announced the appointment of Subramaniam to its Board of Trustees. The appointment reflected Subramaniam's role as a leading voice in discussions about global trade, supply chain strategy, and international economic policy.

CNBC host Jim Cramer has publicly praised Subramaniam's leadership, stating during a program segment that "CEO Raj Subramaniam is one of my heroes," a comment reported by Yahoo Finance in early 2026.

A 2024 report by the Institute for Policy Studies included Subramaniam's compensation in its analysis of executive pay at major American corporations, examining the ratio between CEO compensation and median worker pay across large companies.

Legacy

Subramaniam's tenure as CEO of FedEx has been defined by his management of a historic corporate transition — from founder-led governance under Fred Smith to professional management — and by his efforts to transform FedEx's organizational structure in response to rapidly changing market conditions. His appointment represented the first time in FedEx's history that someone other than its founder served as CEO, marking a generational shift at one of the world's largest logistics companies.

As an Indian-born immigrant who rose to lead a major American corporation, Subramaniam's career has been cited in discussions about immigration, merit-based advancement, and the contributions of Indian-origin executives to American business. His background as a graduate of IIT Bombay who subsequently earned advanced degrees from American universities and climbed the corporate ladder at a single company over more than 30 years has made him a notable figure in the broader narrative of Indian diaspora achievement in the United States.

His articulation of the concept of "re-globalization" — the idea that global trade is being restructured rather than retreating — has contributed to the public discourse on the future of international commerce, particularly as businesses and policymakers grapple with the implications of tariffs, supply chain diversification, and shifting geopolitical alliances. His cautious but forward-looking approach to technology, including AI and robotics, has similarly positioned him as a prominent voice in discussions about the future of the logistics industry.