Canadian National Railway announces new leadership appointments

Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) announced Monday it had appointed two new people to the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. Patrick Whitehead will take over as executive vice-president and COO. Whitehead had been named executive VP and Chief Network Operating Officer alongside Derek Taylor as Exec. VP and Chief Field Operating Officer in 2024. The plan at the time had been for the two to build and run a plan for the railroad’s network with Whitehead building the plan, and Taylor running the plan. Taylor has since left the company, CN said in a statement. Whitehead has more than 30 years of experience, officials with the railroad said, over 25 of which have been in management positions in transportation and mechanical operations. He holds a Master of Science degree in Transportation Management from the University of Denver and has completed the Wharton School of Business’ Advanced Management and Corporate Governance programs. He will be based in Montreal, the company said. Janet Drysdale will take over as Executive VP and Chief Commercial Officer, the company said. Drysdale has nearly 30 years of experience and spent the first decade of her career at CN in a variety of roles including positions in investor relations, finance, corporate and business development and sustainability. She most recently served as CCO on an interim basis since July of this year and was previously CN’s Chief Stakeholder Relations Officer. She holds an Honors Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University and an MBA from McGill University. “Janet and Pat are key drivers of CN’s efforts to achieve new levels of operational, commercial and customer service excellence. Their proven cross-functional leadership is instrumental in delivering value for our shareholders and customers. I look forward to working closely with them,” said Tracy Robinson, President and Chief Executive Officer at CN. “I thank Derek for his contributions to the Company and wish him the best in the future.”