Raj Subramaniam took his roommate’s abandoned FedEx interview in 1991; 31 years later, he became CEO of the $75 billion shipping giant after rising through its ranks

Raj Subramaniam’s career at FedEx began with an interview that his roommate had decided to turn down. In 1991, Subramaniam was completing an MBA in marketing and finance at the University of Texas at Austin. He had previously earned scientific degrees from IIT Bombay and Syracuse University. At the time, the early-1990s recession had made finding a job more difficult, with unemployment above 7%, according to Fortune.

Subramaniam’s roommate received a call from FedEx for an interview but had decided to return to India. After the roommate declined the opportunity, Subramaniam contacted the recruiter himself and asked whether he could send his resume, as per a Fortune report. The company agreed. That conversation led to Subramaniam’s first job at FedEx.

Raj Subramaniam started at FedEx as an entry-level associate

Subramaniam moved to FedEx’s global headquarters in Memphis and joined the company as an entry-level associate, according to Fortune.


He later took on increasingly larger international assignments. From 1996 to 2003, he was based in Hong Kong and oversaw marketing across the Asia-Pacific region.

Subramaniam told Fortune that he repeatedly accepted opportunities as they came up during his career.

He said, “Pretty much every job that I’ve gotten—maybe with the exception of one or so—was somebody [who] said, ‘Yep, I want you to do this’…[I] was given multiple opportunities, and I just took it,” adding, “It was a great learning experience, whether it’s living in different geographies or doing different jobs,” as quoted by Fortune.

From FedEx Canada to president and COO

In 2003, Subramaniam became regional president of FedEx Canada. Around that time, he first began thinking that becoming CEO could be possible.

He also described continuous learning as an important part of his career. He told Fortune, “Continuous learning is my thing, and so it was always exciting to take on something new,” adding, “When I was in a senior role, I realized, ‘Oh, this is starting to look pretty interesting now’…That’s probably when I first thought, ‘Okay, this could lead to something.’”

After nearly three years as head of FedEx Canada, Subramaniam moved into senior global positions, including executive vice president of marketing and communications.

In 2019, he was promoted to president and chief operating officer.

Raj Subramaniam became FedEx CEO in 2022

In 2022, FedEx founder and former CEO Frederick W. Smith handed Subramaniam the reins of the company.

The appointment made Subramaniam the second CEO in FedEx’s more than 50-year history, according to Fortune.

His career at FedEx had begun with an opportunity that was initially offered to his roommate, from an entry-level position in 1991, he moved through international assignments and senior leadership positions before becoming CEO in 2022.

Subramaniam also told Fortune that people aspiring to become CEOs should understand what the role requires and ask themselves whether they really want it. He noted that “there’s a lot of stress and sacrifice that goes with it,” as quoted in the report.