Brad Martin

Executive Chairman and Chair of the Board FedEx

Last Reviewed: October 3, 2026

Executive Summary

Brad Martin has been Executive Chairman of FedEx since September 2025 and chairman of its board since June 2025, after 14 years as a director. He leads the board as FedEx reshapes itself, including the June 2026 spin-off of FedEx Freight, whose board he also chairs. His career has spanned retail, energy and public life: he ran Saks Incorporated as chairman and chief executive from 1989 to 2006, chaired Chesapeake Energy from 2015 to 2021, served as interim president of the University of Memphis and was a Tennessee state representative. He has sat on the boards of more than half a dozen public companies, and returned to an executive role in his seventies.

Career Highlights

• Executive Chairman of FedEx since September 2025; Chairman since June 2025; director since 2011.
• Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saks Incorporated, 1989 to 2006.
• Chairman of Chesapeake Energy, 2015 to 2021.
• Interim President of the University of Memphis, 2013 to 2014.
• Chairman and director of FedEx Freight Holding Company.

Professional Journey

Martin earned an MBA at Vanderbilt University and served as a Tennessee state representative, according to FedEx’s proxy. From 1989 to 2006 he was chairman and chief executive of Saks Incorporated, the department store retailer, remaining chairman until he retired in 2007. Since 2007 he has been chairman of RBM Venture Company, a private investment firm.

He served as interim president of the University of Memphis from July 2013 to May 2014 and as chairman of Chesapeake Energy from October 2015 to February 2021. From April 2021 he was chairman and chief executive of Riverview Acquisition Corp., which merged with Westrock Coffee in August 2022; he sat on Westrock’s board until March 2026. Over his career he has also been a director of First Horizon, Caesars Entertainment, Dillard’s, Gaylord Entertainment, lululemon and Ruby Tuesday.

He joined FedEx’s board in 2011, became chairman in June 2025 and executive chairman in September 2025. FedEx completed the spin-off of its less-than-truckload business, FedEx Freight, on 1 June 2026, keeping a 19.9 percent stake, and now reports two segments, Express U.S. Domestic and Express International, according to its 2026 annual report. He chairs the board of FedEx Freight Holding Company, the newly independent less-than-truckload carrier.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in 2026 led the board’s outreach to stockholders on executive pay alongside the lead independent director, according to the proxy.

The proxy cites his experience as a former public-company chief executive who supervised a chief financial officer, his service as a chair of audit committees, and his past chairmanship of the executive and risk committee at First Horizon National Corporation.

Education

Vanderbilt University

MBA