Railroad News
CSX Executive Vice President Mark Wallace died Nov. 28 following a battle with cancer. He was 52.
Wallace had moved into a strategic advisory role in June while he underwent cancer treatment. He joined CSX in spring 2017 as EVP of corporate affairs and chief of staff, and later was named EVP of sales and marketing in July 2018. He also served a stint as EVP and chief administrative officer.
The Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine has named Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel its 2021 Strategist of the Year award winner.The magazine bestows awards each year to five CEOs who have materially changed and improved the strategic position of his or her organization. The other four annual awards are the new CEO of the year, corporate citizen of the year, global visionary of the year and innovator of the year.Creel became CP's president and CEO in January 2017 and joined the Class I’s board in May 2015. He is the 17th person to lead the company since its founding in 1881. Creel previously was appointed president and chief operating officer in February 2013."It is my honor to accept this award on behalf of the entire CP family of railroaders. Leading the dedicated people who make this iconic company run safely and efficiently is one of the great privileges of my life," said Creel in a press release.Prior to joining CP, Creel served CN as executive vice president and COO. His previous positions at CN include executive vice president of operations, senior VP of the Eastern Region and Western Region, and VP of the Prairie Division. Creel began his railroading career at Burlington Northern Railway in 1992 as an intermodal ramp manager in Birmingham, Alabama."Keith is a focused, extraordinary leader with unwavering determination. We are proud to have him leading our iconic Canadian company," said CP Chair Isabelle Courville.
CN's new Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) last week held its first meeting and announced the group's members.The council comprises representatives of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities. The group will advise CN's board and top executive on issues that are relevant to the Class I's relationship with the more than 200 Indigenous communities in which the railroad operates in Canada, CN officials said in a press release.Roberta Louise Jamieson and Murray Sinclair are the council’s co-chairs.The new IAC members are:
• Mark Podlasly, Nlaka’pamux Nation, British Columbia;
• Marie Delorme, Metis, Alberta;
• Leanne Bellegarde, Peepeekisis Cree Nation, Saskatchewan;
• Phil Fontaine, Sagkeeng First Nation, Manitoba;
• Stephen Augustine, Mi’kmaw Nation (Mi’kmaq Grand Council), New Brunswick;
• Denise Pothier, Mi’kmaw Nation, Nova Scotia;
• Kateri Coade, Abegweit First Nation (Mi’kmaq), Prince Edward Island;
• Udlu Hanson, Inuit, Nunavut;
• Tabatha Bull, Nipissing First Nation, Ontario; and
• Ricky Fontaine, Uashat mak Mani-utenam Innu First Nation, Quebec.The council’s guidance will help strengthen the Class I's commitments to environmental, social and governance objectives, said CN Chair Robert Pace.
Planet Tracks is the first business resource group dedicated to sustainability at a Class I, according to UP Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz, shown third from left. Photo – up.com
Union Pacific Railroad has launched a new employee-led business resource group focused on environmental sustainability.
Called "Planet Tracks," the new group is dedicated to "helping employees champion and promote environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives," UP officials reported in the Class I's Inside Track newsletter.