FedEx gets IIT Grad CEO Raj Subramaniam: 5 global CEOs and their education history

On March 29, FedEx Corp announced that founder Frederick W Smith will be stepping down as CEO on June 1 and will be succeeded by Raj Subramaniam. Previously the President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Corporation, Raj will now be the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the US $92 billion revenue-generating transportation company.

In a press release, Frederick W Smith said, "FedEx has changed the world by connecting people and possibilities for the last 50 years. As we look toward what’s next, I have a great sense of satisfaction that a leader of the calibre of Raj Subramaniam will take FedEx into a very successful future. In my role as Executive Chairman, I look forward to focusing on Board governance as well as issues of global importance, including sustainability, innovation, and public policy."

In the same release, newly appointed CEO Raj said, "Fred is a visionary leader and a legend of the business world. He founded one of the world’s greatest and most admired companies, and it is my honour and privilege to step into this role and build upon what he has created. As we continue to transform as a company and reimagine what’s next, we will keep our people-service-profit philosophy at our core."

He further added, "I am immensely proud of our 6,00,000 team members around the world. Together we’ve set into motion ideas that have changed the world for the better, and together we will unlock new value for our people, customers, and shareholders."

Born in Trivandrum (also known as Thiruvananthapuram) in Kerala, the new President and CEO has had an impressive journey to the top. Raj earned his Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay where he graduated from in 1987. He then went on to pursue a Masters in chemical engineering from Syracuse University and another Masters in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. 

But Raj isn't the only Indian or Indian-origin CEO who is an alumnus of a fancy school.

Here are 5 other CEOs who have the same bragging rights: 

1. SUNDAR PICHAI, ALPHABET 

Born in Madurai, the CEO of Alphabet Inc and Google, earned his Bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 1993. Pichai then earned a scholarship from Stanford University, California, to study materials science and semiconductor physics, completing his Masters degree in the subject in 1995. 

Although he began to pursue a PhD at Stanford, Sundar dropped out soon. Ultimately, Sundar graduated in 2002 from Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania with a Masters in business adminstration. 

2. PARAG AGRAWAL, TWITTER

The newly appointed CEO of Twitter, Parag Agrawal, earned his Bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Parag then went on to attend Stanford University from 2005 to 2012, where he earned his PhD in computer science. 

3. LEENA NAIR, CHANEL 

Born in Maharashtra, Leena Nair, a British-Indian businesswoman is currently the Global Head of Chanel. Her education history includes earning her Bachelor's degree in 1990 in electronics and telecommunication engineering from Walchand College of Engineering, Maharashtra. 

She then went on to earn her Master's in business adminstration (specialisation in human resources) from Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur in 1992.

4. ROSHNI NADAR MALHOTRA, HCL

Currently the Chairperson of HCL Technologies and CEO of HCL Corporation, Roshni Nadar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Northwestern University. She then went on to earn her Masters in business adminstration from the Kellogg School of Management. 

5. AMRAPALI GAN, ONLYFANS

Amrapali Gan became the CEO of OnlyFans in December 2021.

She pursued and earned her Bachelor's degree in public relations and organisational communication from California State University in Los Angeles.