FedEx just appointed its first African-American woman CEO and, yes, it’s kind of a big deal.
The delivery services company recently named Ramona Hood as president and CEO of FedEx’s Custom Critical division, making her the first Black woman to hold the position in the brand’s 47-year history.
Hood was just a 19-year-old receptionist when she began her journey with the company nearly 30 years ago. Back then, FedEx was still called Roberts Express. She’s since served in various capacities and executive–level roles throughout her career, heading the company’s FedEx Truckload Brokerage subsidiary and Supply Chain division.
Hood said she never could’ve imagined she would go this far with the company.
“I wasn’t thinking that this was going to be my career and I’d be here for 28 years,” she told Cleveland.com. “I was a young mother. I wanted a job that had a stable shift that would allow me to do [college] courses as appropriate.”
Her journey has finally come full circle. As CEO of the division where she started out as a receptionist in 1991, Hood will oversee the FedEx Custom Critical executive leadership and is tasked with ensuring the performance and strategic direction of the company as a whole.
The mom of two officially assumed her duties in January, Cleveland.com reports.
In her new role, the Walsh University alum said she plans to make diversity a priority. She also hopes to gain insight from employees and customers alike to help her continue to move the Fortune 500 company forward.
“It’s that level of intentionality you have to have,” Hood said. “I now have a team that has no women on it. I have one African-American man. As I add positions to the team, I’ll need to focus on the diversity I’m talking about.”
