This year, Brie Carere became the first woman to serve as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO) at FedEx. Now, as CMCO and Executive Vice President, Carere is using her position to promote diversity and inclusion at FedEx.
In a Q&A with FreightWaves, Carere describes the company’s culture and plans to further embrace women in the shipping industry:
How has FedEx been working to include and promote women in the company?
I believe there are two main reasons that women are set up for success within FedEx. First, our culture is unparalleled. Centered on respect, we have a People-Service-Profit philosophy that serves as the foundation of our culture and fosters an environment where the talents and abilities of women are recognized, valued, nurtured and rewarded. This empowering culture leads to the second reason FedEx has a reputation for supporting women.
FedEx offers Diversity and Inclusion programs, such as Women in Leadership and the Women’s Network at FedEx, to encourage female team members to share success stories and make vital connections with other women. This pipeline offers mentoring while exposing women to a range of opportunities that prepare them for career advancement.
How will the company continue closing the gender gap in the industry?
FedEx will continue to build awareness of the opportunities available to women in the transportation and logistics industry and promote qualified women within our workforce. While this is historically a male-dominant industry, our promotion practices at FedEx reflect what our workforce actually looks like. What we really want to see is the number of women in our industry increase. One of the easiest ways for us to do that is by highlighting the successful women who have made a name for themselves at FedEx.
From the boardroom to the front line, FedEx team members are paving the way for other women in our industry. I’m particularly proud of FedEx Corporate Vice President of Operations and Support Gloria Boyland, who was recently named to the Black Enterprise list of Most Powerful Women in Corporate America and FedEx Freight road driver Nikki Weaver, who just became the first female driver named an America’s Road Team Captain by the American Trucking Associations.
Additionally, female FedEx team members visit high schools and colleges, speak to women’s organizations, and share insights during summits regarding careers in logistics and transportation. We also have tuition programs designed to encourage female students to pursue careers in aviation and we are strong supporters of the International Aviation Women’s Association and Women in Aviation International. Ultimately, it’s about being visible, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of our female workforce and inspiring other women to join our male-dominant industry.
What do you specifically bring to the table for promoting inclusion?
Over my 17-year career at FedEx, I have been heavily involved in supporting women in all stages of their careers. This is very important to me because of the mentoring I received from female executives in the company as I grew in my own career. Because of this, I founded a Women in Leadership mentoring community during my time in Canada and am a leader in the FedEx U.S. Women in Leadership network.
I am passionate about creating mentorship opportunities for women and I actively mentor women of all ages throughout the company. I also serve on the Leadership Roundtable Committee for the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, an organization of women helping women break the cycle of poverty in Memphis through philanthropy, leadership and collaboration.
FedEx delivers more than 15 million packages daily to customers in more than 220 countries and territories across the globe. We know that talent is our most valuable resource and great ideas come from diverse team members throughout our organization. I am proud to have a diverse team of all ages and backgrounds.