When Given The Opportunity To Succeed...Virginia Addicott

"People come into your work life and sometimes you just see things in them. It is very clear that the person has the ability, the aptitude to do these things, but they hadn’t been graced with the opportunity.”

--Virginia Addicott

Every other Tuesday, womenatliberty.com provides #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. In February 2020, Fedex announced that Ramona Hood, a 28-year company veteran has been appointed President and CEO of its Custom Critical division. The division provides a range of transportation capabilities for expedite ground, air, temperature control shipments, and industry-specific solutions. Custom Critical provides services in the U.S., Canada, and internationally, and is based in Green, Ohio.

Ramona Hood
Photo: Fedex.com

In Hood's new role, she is responsible for the division's performance and strategic direction and will lead the executive leadership team. Incidentally, she started her career at Custom Critical as a receptionist in 1991 when she was a young mother. Now as the first black woman to be named President/CEO at Fedex, Ms. Hood is the embodiment of the colloquial phrase, "started at the bottom and now we are here".

Hood is the successor to Virginia Addicott who retired after 33 years with FedEx and 12 years as CEO of Custom Critical. Addicott's quote above is taken from a February 24, 2020 article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and it represents Addicott's sentiment toward Hood. Addicott ended the quote above by saying, "Ramona was one of those people." She characterized Hood as a "fantastic leader" and expressed excitement for Hood in her new role.

Virginia Addicott
Photo: Akron Beacon Journal

Ramona Hood is a graduate of Walsh University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and she also has a MBA from Case Western Reserve University. She is the proud mother of two daughters, Mariah and Kayla. For more information on Ramona Hood, see her profile here.  For more information on #LeadershipTuesdays, follow us on Twitter at: @LeadershipTuesdays

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