Madan Birla is a veteran of the “hard” side of business. In his 22 years at FedEx, he was Managing Director of System Form Engineering (Long-Range Operations and Facilities Planning) and Materials and Resource Planning before being named Managing Director and Preceptor in the company’s Leadership Institute. For eight years as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee, he worked closely with Fred Smith and the senior management team in evaluating strategic what-ifs. At the FedEx Leadership Institute, he was a facilitator of Innovation, Leadership, and Life Balance courses for all levels of management throughout the world.
For the past three years, he has been advising executives on how to encourage employee creativity and commitment to build a culture of innovation and performance.
His life experiences in two rich cultures, East and West, and his broad educational background have prepared him to meld ideas from engineering, business, and psychology to develop comprehensive Leading for Innovation models. He completed his undergraduate work in mechanical engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India. Following that, he enrolled at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, Illinois, where he received his master of science degree in industrial engineering. After graduating, he joined RCA Records in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 degree in counseling from the University of Memphis.