Business
What the first African American woman to be a FedEx CEO has learned about leadership over a 31-year career
When FedEx Custom Critical CEO Ramona Hood started her career at the transportation provider, her initial goal was not to become the first African American woman to lead a FedEx operating company.
“I was a 19-year-old single mom, so my focus at that time really was around having a job with constant hours,” Hood told CNBC’s Frank Holland at the CNBC Work Summit on Tuesday.
“It was many years later that I started to focus on a career and recognized the world of FedEx and how big it was,” she said. “I decided to really be intentional with my career, and that focus has driven me to the place I’m in today.”
That focus over a 31-year career with FedEx led to Hood’s February 2020 appointment as CEO and president of the operating company, which oversees transportation capabilities for expedited ground, temperature control shipments, and other industry-specific solutions.
Hood shared some of the lessons and learnings that helped her climb the corporate ladder, as well as how she navigated the COVID-19 pandemic in the early stage of her CEO tenure.