Eduardo Martinez, A 35 Year UPS Veteran, Has Been Named President Of THE UPS Foundation (Photo: Business Wire)

Eduardo Martinez, a 35-year UPS veteran and currently the program director for The UPS Foundation, has been named president of UPS’s philanthropic arm.

Eduardo Martinez, a 35 year UPS veteran, has been named president of THE UPS Foundation (Photo: Business Wire)

Martinez, 52, will succeed Ken Sternad, who is retiring after a 35-year career with UPS that saw him direct the company’s global Public Relations function as well as The UPS Foundation.

“For the past three years, Ed Martinez has played a critical role in working with Ken Sternad to hone The UPS Foundation’s priorities and critical initiatives,” said Allen Hill, UPS’s senior vice president for human resources and chairman of The UPS Foundation. “His elevation to the post of president means our Foundation can proceed with its critical support of such things as urgent humanitarian relief and environmental sustainability without missing a beat.”

Martinez, a native of Havana, Cuba, who emigrated with his family to the United States in 1960, joined UPS in 1976 as a package handler in UPS’s South Florida operation. He advanced into management two years later and then moved through a series of operational jobs while earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Miami.

In 1989, after assignments in industrial engineering and as national risk manager with UPS’s truck leasing unit, Martinez was promoted to the Corporate Risk Management Department, then moved through assignments in Corporate Finance & Accounting and earned a law degree. He served as a corporate counsel in the UPS Legal Department before accepting his current position in 2007.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Martinez represents UPS and chairs the World Economic Forum’s Logistics Emergency Team. He also serves as vice chair of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Disaster Management. He is a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for The National Council of La Raza as well as the Points of Light Institutes’ Corporate Service Council. He serves as the chair of the Corporate Development Council for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and sits on the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) Global Corporate Volunteer Council.