NS Name New Vice President

Norfolk Southern has announced the appointment of Jacqueline “Jacquie” Gray as its next vice president of audit and compliance.

Gray will replace Susan Stuart, who will retire March 1, 2023.

Stuart joined NS in 1985 as an information technology developer and has served in information technology and accounting positions until being named assistant vice president accounting operations in 2008. She was appointed to her current role in 2017.

Gray joined NS in 2008 as manager of financial reporting. She began her career with KPMG’s audit group.

NS Reorganizes Management Function

Norfolk Southern is reorganizing it executive and management structure by combining transportation and network operations.

As part of the changes, NS has named Paul B. Duncan to head the consolidated department.

He has been given the title senior vice president transportation and network operations and will lead the team that designs network operations, executes network plans, and coordinates the movement of trains across the company’s rail network.

NS said Duncan previously was the head of network planning and optimization and the network operations center.

Other executives named to the combined transportation and network operations organization include Jacob Elium, Rodney Moore and Floyd Hudson.

NS said as vice president network operations, Moore will oversee the team that executes the TOP|SPG operating plan through locomotive distribution, crew management and dispatch.

As vice president NPO, Elium will lead the team that develops network operating plans.

NS Promotes 3 in Law Department

Norfolk Southern has promoted three executives to new positions in its law department effective July 1.

Nabanita Nagwill become executive vice president and chief legal officer, overseeing the law, government relations, and audit & compliance functions.

Jason Morris has been named vice president law. He has been vice president labor relations since June 2021.

Wai Wong will succeed Morris as vice president labor relations. He joined NS in 2015 as assistant general solicitor and is currently assistant vice president human resources.

New NS CEO to Visit Ashtabula

New NS CEO Alan Shaw plans to spend today visiting with maintenance of way workers in Astabula.

Shaw, who assumed the CEO role on May 1, is spending time visiting various NS facilities in its first few days on the job.

He replaces James Squires, who has retired. Shaw’s ascension to CEO was planned. He was named NS president last December.

Other locations that Shaw has visited or plans to visit include Debutts Yard in Chattanooga, the yard in Elkhart, Indiana; and an operations center in Roanoke, Virginia.

Shaw also has written to NS employees to lay out his goals as he talks over the railroad.

He called service restoration and developing a customer-centric company that is operations driven among the top priorities.

“My first priority, and the top priority of every member of the Norfolk Southern team, is to restore service to the quality our customers expect and deserve,” Shaw wrote.

“We’ll compete and win in the $800 billion truck and logistics market by being customer-centric and operations-driven.”

The letter cited Amazon and UPS as examples of the type of service-oriented company that NS must seek to become.

Shaw also went on to call for controlling costs and growing revenue.

NS Names New Transportation VP

Norfolk Southern has named Floyd Hudson as vice president, transportation.

Hudson joined NS in 2004 as a management trainee and has held various positions in operations. Most recently he was general manager of the Southern Region and spent a year in a rotating assignment as chief of staff to Chairman and CEO James Squires.

NS said in a news release that Hudson will work with Vice President Network Planning and Operations Paul Duncan, executive Vice President Engineering Ed Boyle, and executive Vice President Advanced Train Control Tom Schnautz.

Hudson replaced Hunt Cary, who is leaving the company.

NS Hires New Network Planning VP

Norfolk Southern announced this week that Paul Duncan will become vice president of network planning and operations next month.

Duncan will succeed John Friedmann, who is retiring March 1 after 27 years with NS.

In a news release, NS said Duncan currently serves as vice president of service design and performance at BNSF where he helps to formulate service plans for bulk, intermodal and merchandise operations.

He has been with BNSF for 19 years in its operations and transportation departments.

NS said its network planning and operations function is a newly combined organization that consists of network planning and optimization and the network operations center.

It will implement operating plans through locomotive distribution, crew management and dispatching.

Duncan will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn.

NS Names 3 Executives to New Positions

Norfolk Southern this week promoted three executives to new positions.

Michael McClellan was named senior vice president and chief strategy officer effective Feb. 16. He began his railroading career at Conrail and joined NS in 1998.

Nabanita Nag was appointed as senior vice president and chief legal officer while Clay Moore was named vice president and controller.

Nag will succeed Lorri Kleine, who will retire March 1. She has been at NS since August 2020.

Moore will succeed Clyde Allison, who also retires March 1. He joined NS in 2011.

Miles Named NS Non-Executive Board Chair

Amy Miles has been appointed the non-executive chairman of its board of directors effective May 1.

New NS President Alan Shaw will join the board at the same time following the retirement of Chairman and CEO James Squires, who will remain a director following his retirement.

The board will expand from 13 to 14 members and Shaw and Squires will stand for re-election during the annual meeting on May 12.

Miles has been a member of the NS board since 2014. NS said in a statement that Miles’ experience as a senior executive, financial expertise and service on several companies’ boards make her a “natural fit” to head the NS board.

Miles served as CEO of Regal Entertainment Group from June 2009 to March 2018. She was named chair in March 2015.

NS also said Marcela Donadio, a board director since 2016, will become chair of the  audit committee on May 1. She is a former partner at Ernst & Young and led that firm’s Americas oil and gas sector.

Squires to Retire in 2022 as NS CEO

Alan Shaw (left) will replace James Squires as NS CEO in 2022.

Norfolk Southern CEO James A. Squires plans to retire on May 1, 2022.

He will be succeeded by Alan Shaw, who is currently an NS executive vice president and the chief marketing officer.

Shaw will assume the position of NS president immediately as part of the transition plan. In a news release, NS said its top managers will report to Shaw.

In addition to his CEO duties, Squires serves as president and chairman of the board of directors.

NS also said Ed Elkins, vice president of industrial products, has been promoted to the positions of executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Shaw has worked at NS for 27 years in marketing, operations and finance. He was been chief marketing officer since May 2015.

Squires was appointed CEO by NS in 2021 to replace the retiring Charles “Wick” Moorman.

He was named chairman of the NS board in October 2015.

Previously Squires served at NS as executive vice president administration, executive vice president finance and chief financial officer, senior vice president finance, senior vice president law, and vice president law.

NS Names New Labor VP

Jason Morris has been named vice president of labor relations at Norfolk Southern effective Oct. 1.

He replaces Scott Weaver, who is retiring from the company after 32 years.

Morris currently serves as assistant vice president of safety and environmental and will report to Annie Adams, executive vice president and chief transformation officer.

Morris joined the NS legal department in 2010, handling safety, labor and employment issues before moving into the safety and environmental department, where he served as system director of safety until his promotion to AVP in 2018.

Weaver began his career at NS in 1989 as a labor relations specialist. He was appointed vice president of labor relations in 2012.