Before Ramona Hood became CEO of FedEx, she was a 19-year-old mother with a day job taking night classes. “I just wanted a schedule that would be consistent,” Hood told The Commercial Appeal.
What We Know:
- Hood started out as a receptionist working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Roberts Express, which later turned into FedEx Custom Critical.
- She worked her way up to various leadership roles. Prior to her promotion as CEO, Hood was the vice president of operations, strategy, and planning. She was recently selected to be president and CEO last month, succeeding Virginia Addicott, who pushed for Hood to replace her.
- “That is something we can be really, really proud of,” Shannon Brown, FedEx Express chief diversity officer and senior vice president of Eastern Division U.S. operations, told The Commercial Appeal.
- Hood says she plans to help the company become more agile with its customer service approach, by incorporating technology.
- Hood stated that she is grateful for the wide range of experience she received at FedEx Custom Critical, from her early days as a receptionist to roles that later included operations, safety, and sales. She said this enabled her to see how everything worked together.
Since being appointed CEO, Hood has implemented “Ramona Roundtables,” where she listens to small groups of employees. “The next thing I’ll be doing is going out and spending time with customers and independent contractors,” Hood told The Commercial Appeal. “I’m defining that as my ‘listen and learn tour”.
