Norfolk Southern Corporation has appointed John Orr as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Orr has a proven track record of driving significant improvements in operational performance throughout his four-decade career. He will oversee the railway operations, including safety, transportation, network planning and operations, engineering, and equipment maintenance.
Orr's appointment comes after the departure of the previous Chief Operating Officer, Paul Duncan, who left the company to pursue other opportunities. The company has expressed confidence in Orr's ability to accelerate the execution of its strategy and deliver results for its shareholders.
As part of the agreement with Orr, Norfolk Southern will make a one-time payment of $25 million to CPKC, offer certain commercial and operational considerations related to the Meridian Speedway and the Meridian Terminal, and abide by temporary non-solicitation and non-hire provisions regarding a short list of CPKC employees.
Orr joins Norfolk Southern from CPKC, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, overseeing network operations planning and design, labor relations, and regulatory affairs. Prior to his role at CPKC, he was the Executive Vice President of Operations at KCS, where he successfully executed precision scheduled railroading initiatives focusing on improving service.
Norfolk Southern expressed its confidence in Orr's ability to drive profitable growth over the long term and emphasized his commitment to safety, service, growth, and operating efficiencies.
The company has filed a preliminary proxy statement on schedule 14a with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the solicitation of proxies for its 2024 annual meeting of shareholders. Shareholders are advised to read the company’s 2024 proxy statement and any other documents filed with the SEC as they will contain important information.
Norfolk Southern Corporation, since 1827, has played a significant role in moving goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. It operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network, committed to furthering sustainability and delivering top-tier earnings and revenue growth at industry-competitive margins. As a result of these announcements, the company's shares have moved 1.3% on the market, and are now trading at a price of $259.81. For more information, read the company's full 8-K submission here.
