Haslam College of Business - FedEx founder to speak at Global Supply Chain Forum

Frederick W. Smith, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of FedEx Corporation, will join the Haslam College of Business’s Supply Chain Forum as its keynote speaker on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Smith will draw on decades of experience building FedEx to discuss trends and challenges in supply chain management from 2:15-3:15 p.m. at the Knoxville Marriott.

Paul Dittman, executive director of the Global Supply Chain Institute, believes Smith will have a powerful message for the 150 supply chain professionals in attendance. “I know all participants in the forum will gain insight from his presentation and reflections on establishing one of the world’s largest logistics companies.”

Smith provides strategic direction for all FedEx Corporation operating companies, a responsibility spanning 220 countries and territories utilizing 634 aircraft and more than 90,000 vehicles. Under his management, 300,000 team members handle more than 10 million shipments for FedEx each business day.

Smith also co-chairs the Energy Security Leadership Council, and is a trustee for the United States Council for International Business. He served as chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and is co-chair of the French-American Business Roundtable.

The Supply Chain Forum at the Haslam College of Business has hosted corporate leaders, faculty and students to discuss the latest in supply chain issues for nearly two decades. Managers from 59 top corporations participate in the forum. Past keynote speakers have included senior executives from Goodyear, Walmart, Amazon, P&G and Lockheed Martin, among others. The fall 2014 forum includes speakers from Eastman Chemical Company, IBM, Walgreens and Haslam’s Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management faculty.

The supply chain program at the Haslam College of Business is ranked among the top programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Gartner, Business Week, and Supply Chain Management Review. The Supply Chain Forum is a recognized leader in current issues and strategies in global supply chain.

Supply Chain Forum events are for Forum sponsoring companies and by invitation only. Media who wish to cover Smith’s keynote address should contact Katie Bahr.

Smith will also speak at the MBA Symposium.

Additional Information:

Haslam College of Business: https://haslam.utk.edu/

Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management: https://mscm.bus.utk.edu

Supply Chain Forum: https://scforum.bus.utk.edu

CONTACT: Katie Bahr, writer/publicist, (865) 974-3589, katiebahr@utk.edu