FedEx founder and executive chairman Frederick Smith has died, CEO tells staff

FedEx Corp's laminitis and erstwhile CEO Frederick Smith, who started the planetary transportation conglomerate with much than a twelve planes successful the 1970s, has died, the company's CEO Raj Subramaniam said successful memo to unit posted connected its website connected Saturday.

Born successful 1944, Smith was astir precocious serving arsenic the firm's enforcement president and focused connected committee governance, arsenic good arsenic issues of planetary importance, including sustainability, innovation and nationalist policy, according to his illustration connected FedEx's website.

Smith stepped speech arsenic FedEx's CEO successful 2022 and was succeeded by Subramaniam, who was past the company's operations chief.

"Fred was much than conscionable the pioneer of an manufacture and the laminitis of our large company. He was a mentor to galore and a root of inspiration to all," Subramaniam said successful the memo to staff.

Smith, who served arsenic an serviceman successful the U.S. Marine Corps successful Vietnam, officially launched Federal Express successful 1973 with 389 squad members and 14 tiny planes that flew 186 packages from Memphis to 25 U.S. cities.

FedEx operations present see 705 aircraft, much than 200,000 vehicles and astir 5,000 operating facilities, according to its website. More than 500,000 employees worldwide grip astir 17 cardinal shipments each time astatine FedEx.