FedEx Elevates Marketing Chief Salil Chari to APAC President
FedEx promotes marketing SVP Salil Chari to APAC president, overseeing 30,000 employees. A signal that customer experience leadership drives regional strategy.
Federal Express Corporation has appointed Salil Chari as president of its Asia Pacific region, effective January 1, 2026. Chari, who previously served as senior vice president of marketing and customer experience for the region, replaces Kawal Preet, who has transitioned to executive vice president of planning, engineering, and transformation.
Marketing Leader Takes Regional Command
In his new role, Chari will oversee FedEx's strategic direction across Asia Pacific and manage a workforce of nearly 30,000 employees. His responsibilities include driving profitable growth, enhancing customer experience, and advancing operational excellence throughout the region.
The appointment represents an internal promotion for Chari, who joined FedEx in 1997 as a marketing analyst in Memphis. Over nearly three decades, he has held various leadership positions across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, and Africa. His career trajectory emphasizes customer-focused growth and helping businesses expand globally.
Richard Smith, FedEx's chief operating officer for international and chief executive officer for airline, praised Chari's "exceptional multi-regional leadership experience and passion for delivering value to customers." Smith expressed confidence that Chari's deep regional understanding would elevate the Asia Pacific business and reinforce its importance to global growth.
Strategic Focus on Trade Corridors
Chari emphasized the region's central role in global commerce in his first statement as president. "It is an honor to lead such a talented team in a region that sits at the center of global trade," he said. He noted that Asia Pacific's dynamic trade corridors create "powerful opportunities for businesses of all sizes to grow and compete globally."
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His stated priorities include strengthening resilience, accelerating growth, and deepening FedEx's role as a valued partner for customers and communities across the region. The appointment signals FedEx's commitment to maintaining customer experience as a competitive advantage in logistics markets.
Customer Experience at the Forefront
The leadership transition coincides with FedEx's continued regional engagement initiatives. In June 2025, the company launched Singapore's first 3D holographic experience. The logistics giant also released a Malaysia Merdeka Day video celebrating linguistic diversity, demonstrating its commitment to innovative customer engagement across Asia Pacific markets.
The dual appointment structure, with Preet moving to transformation roles while Chari takes the customer-facing regional presidency, reflects how multinational corporations are reorganizing executive talent. The move addresses operational modernization needs while maintaining focus on customer excellence. FedEx's decision to elevate a marketing and customer experience executive into general management underscores the growing strategic importance of customer expertise in logistics sector leadership.
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