Lynn Fritz

Mission and purpose have guided Lynn Fritz throughout his life. As Chairman and CEO of Fritz Companies for 30 years, he pioneered third-party logistics and outsourced supply chains, growing a small San Francisco customs brokerage into a company of 11,000 employees in 120 countries. It went public in 1992 and joined the Fortune 1000 in 1997.

After UPS acquired the company in 2001, Lynn turned to the people who deliver aid in the hardest places on earth. Moved by the field logisticians he met, he founded Fritz Institute and helped create the field of humanitarian logistics. Its software is used by the Red Cross, Save the Children and World Vision, and its training has reached relief workers in more than 90 countries.

Lynn’s leadership and service have been widely honored. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Pepperdine University and Drexel University, the Citizen Diplomat Award from the International Diplomacy Council, and the California Prize for Service of the Common Good from the University of San Francisco. In 2021, he was inducted into both the Logistics Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame of The International Air Cargo Association.