Former (Retired)Retired · Jun 1, 2022
Rank #3 Globally
Quick Answer & Tenure Summary
Fred Smith served as Founder & CEO of FedEx for a verified duration of 50 years 11 months (18,611 days), from Jun 18, 1971 until Jun 1, 2022. During this tenure, Fred Smith guided FedEx across major corporate milestones before departing by retired.
In Office
50 years 11 months
18,611 days
Start Date
Jun 18, 1971
Appointed 1971
End Date
Jun 1, 2022
retired
Age at Appointment
26 years old
Born Aug 11, 1944
Executive Succession & Corporate Facts
- Predecessor
- None (Founding CEO)
- Successor
- Interim / Search in progress
- Global Tenure Rank
- #3 Longest-Serving CEO in Database (View Full Rankings →)
- Company Founded
- Jun 18, 1971 (Memphis, Tennessee)
- Known Aliases
- Frederick W. Smith
Tenure Milestones & Transition Timeline
Jun 18, 1971Source ↗
Federal Express Incorporated
Founded Federal Express in Little Rock, Arkansas, pioneering overnight delivery services.
Apr 17, 1973Source ↗
First Night of Flight Operations
Delivered 186 packages across 25 U.S. cities on the inaugural night of Memphis operations.
Jun 1, 2022Source ↗
Transition to Executive Chairman
Stepped down as CEO after nearly 51 years leading FedEx, succeeded by Raj Subramaniam.
Related Leaders & Rankings
Same Company
Complete list of all historical and interim leaders at FedEx.
Global Benchmark
Compare against all 31 recorded corporate executives in our database.
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