How a missed roommate interview helped Raj Subramaniam begin his journey to becoming FedEx CEO
The early 1990s were a tough time for job seekers, as the United States grappled with a recession that pushed unemployment above 7% and forced employers to slow hiring. A chance opportunity amidst the challenging employment environment changed the course of Raj Subramaniam’s career.
Today, Subramaniam serves as the Chief Executive Officer. FedExBut his journey with the global logistics company started unexpectedly; when his roommate steps into a job interview that he decides to skip.
The Indian-born executive was looking for career opportunities while completing his MBA in marketing and finance at the University of Texas at Austin in 1991. By then he had already built a strong academic foundation, earning degrees in engineering and science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Syracuse University.
The turning point came when his roommate notified FedEx that he would not be attending a scheduled meeting. Rather than let the opportunity go to waste, Subramaniam personally contacted the recruiter and requested to be considered for the position instead.
This decision marked the beginning of a remarkable career. he joined Fedex As an entry-level associate at its global headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. His performance quickly gained recognition and led to greater responsibilities and international assignments.
“It was difficult to find a job and my roommate at the time had decided to come back to India,” the FedEx CEO was quoted as saying. Luck on a podcast.
“As I was walking towards the apartment, I heard him talking on the phone. He said, ‘No, I can’t do this,’ and hung up. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ I said. He said ‘FedEx is calling’ and it was for an interview. But obviously he decided to leave the country,” Subramaniam said.
“I immediately picked up the phone and said, ‘Give me the number,’ and I called and said, ‘You just talked to my roommate, but he doesn’t want to do an interview, but I’m still here. Can I send my resume?’ I said. And they said, ‘Okay.’ “The rest is history.”
Between 1996 and 2003, Subramaniam was headquartered in Hong Kong, where he managed marketing operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Looking back at his career, he often credits his steady rise to a willingness to embrace new challenges and accept opportunities when they arise.
Interestingly, he said that becoming a CEO was not initially part of his career plan. But after taking over as regional president of FedEx Canada in 2003, he began to see the possibility of one day leading the company.
His rise continued with a series of senior leadership positions, including Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications at FedEx Corp. In 2019, he rose to the positions of President and Chief Operating Officer to oversee the company’s operations during the surge in e-commerce demand driven by the pandemic.
Subramaniam said: “Almost every job I took – except maybe one or more – was someone’s job. [who] He said, ‘Yes, I want you to do this’…[I] “I was given many opportunities and I took advantage of them.”
“Whether it was living in different geographies or doing different jobs, it was a great learning experience,” the FedEx CEO said.
FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith appointed Subramaniam as the company’s CEO in 2022, making him only the second chief executive in FedEx’s more than five-decade history and marking the culmination of a career that began with a lucky twist of fate.
