What we expected to happen in three years happened in three months

India-born Rajesh Subramaniam started his career in FedEx as an entry-level marketing analyst 29 years ago.

- ABHINAV SINGH

He rose through the ranks to become president and chief operating officer of the courier behemoth last year. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Subramaniam talks about his company’s strategy during the pandemic, its prospects and his early life in Kerala and Mumbai. Excerpts:

Q/ The past few months must have been challenging for FedEx. How did you deal with it?

A/ Currently, we have found ourselves on the frontline of the war against pandemic, with more than five lakh employees delivering aid and medical supplies across the globe and keeping commerce in motion. Our organisation has helped transport 31.8 kilotonnes of PPE kits since February 1, including over 1 billion masks, across the globe. At the same time, we have orchestrated more than 100 chartered flights and 1,000 ocean containers to supply critical PPE kits. We have also facilitated the transport of more than 7,300 humanitarian aid shipments globally through collaborations with our non-profit partners. At the same time, we have continued to see a significant surge in e-commerce shipments as people stay at home and order online.

Our strategy was built for this growth. We were skating to where the puck was going, but instead, the puck came to us. What we expected to happen in the next three years happened in a matter of three months. We are also reimagining FedEx at the intersection of physical and digital networks. We are also excited about our recently announced alliance with Microsoft to leverage data and technology to add value.