FedEx founder named chief executive of the year
Chief Executive magazine has named FedEx chairman, president and CEO Fred Smith chief executive of the year.
The decision follows a poll of 42,000 “peer-level readers” of the magazine and a final choice made by a judging panel of “corporate luminaries,” according to the magazine.
Smith, who founded FedEx in 1971, was recognized for building a USD25 billion company that “virtually invented an entire industry, transformed other sectors as diverse as manufacturing, retail and transportation and heightened expectations of globalization.”
FedEx now employs 240,000 people in 215 countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq. The company handles USD1 billion worth of Postal Service shipments per year, making its one-time competitor the company’s single largest customer.
The award has been given for the past 18 years, and its recipients include Michael Dell of Dell Computer; Andrew Grove of Intel; and Jack Welch of General Electric.
Smith was chosen from 150 nominees. The judges based their final selection on long-term company performance, operational excellence, global leadership, continuous innovation, corporate responsibility, resilience, integrity and consistency.
The panel of judges was chaired by last year’s winner, American International Group chairman and CEO Maurice Greenberg.
An interview with Smith appears in the June issue of Chief Executive, a controlled circulation magazine that reaches 42,000 CEOs and their peers.
The magazine is published 10 times per year, and reaches a total readership of 143,000.
Chief Executive also organizes roundtable meetings and conferences to foster opportunities for top corporate officers to discuss key subjects and share their experiences with peers.
