Brown, who was promoted to his current position in August of 2005, previously served as Vice President of Human Resources Services and Chief Diversity Officer for FedEx Express in the company's headquarters in Memphis, TN. FedEx Ground, which is different from FedEx Express, deals with small packages at a more grassroots level and is headquartered in the Pittsburgh area.
In the past, Brown has also worked as Vice President and General Manager of Worldwide Vehicle/Ground Support Equipment Maintenance and Air Ground and Freight Services for the company's Southern region.
As Vice President of Human Resources, Brown oversees all issues dealing with FedEx Express employees and serves as a mediator between the employees and upper management to ensure that cares and concerns are not only voiced but also addressed in ways that, ideally, make everyone happy.
Specific areas that Brown deals with on a daily basis include compensation, employee benefits, recruitment, diversity, affirmative action, safety, training, and general human resources administration; but with 27 years of experience at FedEx under his belt, Brown is more than equipped to handle the job. Having first joined the company as an entry-level cargo handler and customer service agent, Brown has come a long way from his humble beginning.
"Shannon's broad experience in human resource management, in particular his leadership in the arena of customer diversity, will enable FedEx Ground to better serve our employees and customers in the global marketplace," said Daniel J. Sullivan, President and CEO of FedEx Ground, in an August 2005 press release. "Shannon has proven to be a tremendous asset to FedEx Express, and we are proud to announce that he's joining FedEx Ground."
Brown has a Bachelor of Science degree from National-Louis University of Evanston, IL, as well as a Master of Science degree from the University of Denver. His master's degree is in intermodal transportation.
FedEx's human resources department considers itself responsible for keeping FedEx's employees motivated, passionate, interconnected, and highly productive. Some of the ways by which the human resources staff strives to achieve these goals include providing the company's employees with appropriate training on issues that are at the forefront of the industry, providing employees with a safe work environment that is conducive to productivity, and providing employees with excellent benefits and services tailored to their individual needs.
In a company repeatedly named as one of the best companies to work for, the positions of FedEx's human-resource staff members are integral. Members of the staff, including Brown, seem to understand that in order for the company to specialize in happy customers, it must first specialize in happy employees, a motto that really does make a whole lot of sense.
