MONTREAL — Canadian National today appointed two operations executives to take over for retiring Chief Operating Officer Ed Harris.
Patrick Whitehead was named executive vice president and chief network operating officer, while Derek Taylor was named executive vice president and chief field operating officer. Both appointments are effective Nov. 15.
Railroads traditionally have a lone chief operating officer lead their operations. With two people at the top, CN is taking an approach that is unique in the industry. CN says the organizational structure recognizes the distinction between developing the operating plan and building the network of the future and the day-to-day demands of executing the operating plan.
“I am very pleased to appoint Pat and Derek to these enterprise leadership roles. These appointments are the next evolution of our ‘Make the Plan, Run the Plan, Sell the Plan’ operating model,” CEO Tracy Robinson said in a statement. “With this new structure and leadership in place, we are well-positioned to achieve the sustainable, profitable growth outlined in our 2024-2026 plan.”
Whitehead will “make the plan” as he takes on leadership of network operations, mechanical, engineering, and the corporate safety team, including CN’s two operations training centers. Taylor will “run the plan” with system-wide leadership for transportation and intermodal operations.
Whitehead, 48, who was named senior vice president of network operations in June 2022, is based at CN’s operational center in Edmonton, Alberta. He has more than 30 years of railroad experience, over 25 of which have been in management positions in transportation and mechanical operations. He joined CN in 2021 as general manager in Chicago. Prior to joining CN, he was vice president of transportation for Norfolk Southern.
Taylor, 46, was named senior vice president of transportation in November 2022 and is based at CN’s operational center in Homewood, Ill. Taylor joined CN as a management trainee in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2000 and since then has held progressively more senior leadership roles across the organization. He served as general manager in Fond du Lac, Wis., and in Homewood and was vice president of transportation for the Southern and Eastern Regions at different times. As vice president of operational excellence in 2022, he was responsible for driving continuous improvement across CN’s key operating metrics.
As part of the leadership transition, Harris will shift to a consulting role through March 31.
“I want to thank Ed for his significant contribution to CN and to the railroad industry over the last 50 years and for his collaboration in imagining and developing the evolution of the operating team structure. Pat and Derek were privileged to learn directly from him. His legacy is in the best hands,” Robinson said.
Harris said that Whitehead and Taylor have proven track records of cooperating and leading complementary teams. “I am confident that they are up to the task of evolving CN’s scheduled railroading model to sustain growth while ensuring the efficient day-to-day safe execution of the plan,” he said.
