CSX Names 2 to Executive Positions

CSX has announced the appointment of two high-ranking executives.

It has named Kevin Boone as its full-time chief financial officer and appointed Jamie Boychuk as executive vice president of operations.

Ed Harris, who had held the operations position, will serve as executive vice president with a combination of operating and general executive responsibilities.

Boone has served as interim chief financial officer of CSX since May. He joined CSX in 2017 as vice president of corporate affairs and chief investor relations officer, and also has served as vice president of marketing and strategy.

He had previously worked in research and analysis positions at Janus Capital, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch.

Boychuk joined CSX in 2017 after 20 years at Canadian National. At CSX he has served as assistant vice president of transportation support, vice president of scheduled railroading and senior vice president of network operations, mechanical, engineering, and intermodal operations.

Harris joined CSX in January 2018 as executive vice president of operations.

In a news release CSX said Harris will “continue to train, coach, and mentor operations leadership while maintaining oversight of several key functional areas, including safety, performance metrics, and operational planning.”

CSX Announces Leadership Changes

CSX has shuffled the leadership of its merchandise and intermodal sales and marketing teams by appointing Dean Piacente as vice president of industrial products and naming Maryclare Kenney as VP of intermodal and automotive.

Piacente previously served as VP of intermodal. He now is responsible for the Class I’s chemicals, metals, paper and forest product businesses. He has more than 30 years of experience across different segments at CSX.

Kenney, who has led CSX’s automotive business, will oversee intermodal sales and marketing, as well as continuing to lead automotive. She joined CSX in 2011 and has held roles of increasing responsibility, including five years in intermodal.

Tim McNulty, vice president of agricultural and mineral products, will continue to lead the balance of the merchandise portfolio.

CSX Names Operations VP

A former Canadian National executive has been brought out of retirement to help CSX in its implementation of precision scheduled railroading.

Harris

Edmond L. Harris has been named executive vice president of operations and will oversee mechanical, engineering, transportation and network operations.

Harris, who will begin his position immediately, worked with the late E. Hunter Harrison and current CSX CEO James M. Foote at CN.

He also worked with Harrison at the Illinois Central Railroad where Harrison initially implemented the precision scheduled railroading model.

During his 40 years in the railroad industry, Harris rose to the post of executive vice president of operations at CN.

He later served as chief operations officer at Canadian Pacific and held a seat on the CP board of directors.

Harris also was as a senior adviser to Global Infrastructure Partners, an independent fund that invests in infrastructure assets worldwide; chairman of Omnitrax Rail Network; and board director for Universal Rail Services. He began his railroad career in operations at the IC.

Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in management from the University of Illinois-Chicago,  Harris served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 1973.

CSX, Harrison Reported Close to a Deal

News reports on Friday indicated the CSX and E. Hunter Harrison are closed to reaching a deal for the former Canadian Pacific head to become CEO of CSX.

Bloomberg News reported that an announcement could be made as early as next week although the talks between CSX and hedge fund Mantle Ridge over the composition of the CSX board of directors could still collapse.

The reports indicated the two sides were close to reaching an agreement whereby Harrison would begin work immediately for CSX and receive a four-year contract.

CSX shareholders would vote on whether to reimburse Mantle Ridge the $84 million that it paid Harrison to walk away early from CP.

Back in January, several news reports indicated that Harrison agreed to forego tens of millions of dollars to get CP to grant him a limited waiver of a non-compete clause.

CSX and Mantle Ridge have refused to comment on the report.