Jackson’s Move to FedEx Leaves Five Days Between Departure from AutoZone and Start of New Role
Key Facts
AutoZone said its CFO, Jamere Jackson, notified the company on October 20, 2026, that he was resigning, effective November 25, after accepting a professional opportunity outside the automotive aftermarket services sector. Jackson starts on November 30 as executive vice president and CFO of FedEx, five days after his departure from AutoZone takes effect. The move takes the finance chief from one listed company to another, with a short gap between the end of his current role and the start of his new one. AutoZone said in its filing that the departure was not related to its financial or operating results, or to any disagreement over accounting policies or reporting. The company said it is searching for a successor, while its interim arrangement takes effect on the date of his departure.
While AutoZone searches for a new CFO, Jay Scott Murphy, vice president and controller, will assume the principal financial officer and principal accounting officer duties. The arrangement begins on November 25, the effective date of Jackson’s resignation, and will continue throughout the search for his successor. This gives the company a designated officer for its two key finance and accounting roles during the transition. AutoZone said it has begun an external search for a successor, and CEO Phil Daniele said the company’s strategies are well established. He added that the company believes it is on track for a strong fiscal 2027, an outlook from management on the path ahead.
Jackson will take a permanent role at FedEx, succeeding Claude Russ, who has served as interim CFO since June 1. His appointment follows a period in which Russ held the responsibility on an interim basis, as the company selected Jackson to lead finance. FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam said Jackson can balance strategic investments in growth with a focus on profitability, cash generation and capital allocation. Those priorities frame what the company said it expects from its new finance chief, without the statement citing numerical targets tied to them. Jackson is scheduled to officially start in the role on November 30, five days after leaving AutoZone.
Jackson has served as AutoZone’s CFO since January 2021, according to FedEx, and led its finance and store development teams. He previously held CFO roles at Hertz and Nielsen, according to the appointment announcement. Daniele said Jackson spent six years at AutoZone and helped shape strategies that the company said drove record sales, earnings and earnings per share. The two companies’ statements highlight different aspects of his experience: AutoZone links his work to its strategy and record results, while FedEx emphasizes his financial leadership and experience in growth, profitability, cash and capital allocation. FedEx is scheduled to hold its third-quarter earnings call on October 28, two days after announcing his appointment.
AutoZone’s latest results provide financial context for Jackson’s departure: net sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 were about $6.6 billion, up 5.6% from the same quarter a year earlier. The quarter covered 16 weeks and ended on August 29, 2026. For the fiscal year ended on the same date, the company recorded annual sales of $20.3 billion, up 7.4% from the prior year. Quarterly net income rose to $931.6 million, compared with $837.0 million in the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2025. Diluted earnings per share were $56.05, compared with $48.71 in the corresponding period.