About

Madan Birla is a veteran of the “hard” side of business. In his 22 years at FedEx, he worked closely with Fred Smith (founder and CEO) and the senior management team in evaluating strategic “what-ifs.”

His life experiences in two rich cultures, East and West, and his broad educational background have prepared him to creatively meld ideas from engineering, business, and psychology to develop comprehensive “Leading for Innovation and Growth” models.

After completing undergraduate work in Mechanical Engineering at BITS-Pilani, India, he received his Master of Science in industrial engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from IIT, he joined RCA in Indianapolis. While in Indianapolis, he did graduate work in business at Butler University. After moving to Memphis to join FedEx, he received a Master of Science in counseling from the University of Memphis. He has been inducted into Alpha Pi Mu, Honor Society for Industrial Engineers, and the University of Memphis’ College of Education’s Alumni Hall of Fame. He serves on the dean’s advisory council.

University of Miami plaque   

 He regularly speaks in executive education programs at Kellogg Management Institute, Northwestern, Tuck Business School, Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, University of Miami, American Management Association, The Conference Board, Indian School of Business, Indian Institute of Management, and Singapore Institute of Management. 

 He regularly speaks at businesses worldwide, including Google, IBM, Microsoft, Bridgestone, Smith & Nephew, SONY, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Hilton, Marriott, and others.  

St. Jude Volunteer plaque photo and Collierville School Supt. Thank you quote

For giving back to the community, he works regularly with non-profit boards and management teams to help develop strategic plans, including Wings Cancer Foundation, Literacy Mid-South, Church Health Center, Friends for Life, Tipton County Commission on Aging, Collierville School System, and others. 

International Editions Book covers photos 

His book, FedEx Delivers: How the World’s Leading Shipping Company Keeps Innovating and Outperforming the Competition, published by John Wiley & Sons, has been translated into Orthodox Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Arabic, and other languages. His other books are Balanced Life and Leadership Excellence: A Nurturing Relationship, translated into German; Unleashing Creativity and Innovation: Nine Lessons from Nature for Enterprise Growth and Career Success; and Enjoy Balance and Unleash Creativity: Five Steps to a Happier, Healthier and Successful Life.