Global delivery giant FedEx announced that Karen Blanks Ellis will become the company’s next Chief Sustainability Officer, succeeding current CSO Mitch Jackson, who will be retiring from FedEx at the end of June.

Ellis joined FedEx in 1997 and previously held the role of Managing Director, Strategic Environmental Management & Sustainability at the company. She has served in a variety of roles at the company related to environmental compliance, planning, and engineering. Prior to FedEx, Ellis held engineering positions at Cummins Engine Company and Proctor & Gamble. She serves on the Board of the International Aviation Women’s Association and is former chair of the Airlines for America Environmental Sustainability Council.

According to the FedEx’ most recent ESG report, the Chief Sustainability Officer is responsible for executing FedEx’s ESG strategy and tracking progress against goals in addition to chairing the FedEx Enterprise Sustainability Council (FESC), comprising senior management representatives who oversee enterprise-wide Sustainability Impact Teams. The CSO also provides oversight for each operating company’s internal environmental sustainability departments and for the enterprise-wide Environmental Management System which sets the processes and practices implemented daily to reduce impacts, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Ellis said:

“In every role I have held at FedEx, I’ve been proud to work for such a forward-thinking and respected corporate actor in sustainability. Now as chief sustainability officer, I will have the honor of taking this work forward in the company’s next chapter. I am excited to build upon Mitch’s decades of leadership and advance the sustainability strategy across our global network—particularly as we continue to work toward our goal of carbon neutral global operations by 2040.”

Jackson is retiring after a 39 year career at FedEx, serving in a variety of senior environmental sustainability-related roles, including as the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer from 2017.

In a post announcing his retirement, Jackson said:

“It has been an honor to serve as FedEx’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, to create the sustainability function for FedEx, to lead the strategic direction for all aspects of the company’s sustainability, climate-related, and emissions-reduction strategies, programs, and initiatives over the past decades, along with creating and overseeing all FedEx ESG Reports from the beginning of the company’s reporting.”