Whitehead, who had served previously as CN’s Executive Vice President and Chief Network Operating Officer since October 2023, succeeds Derek Taylor, who has left the company, according to the Canadian Class I railroad. He will be based in Montreal and has been taking French classes since 2023, the company noted.
With more than 30 years of railroad experience, over 25 of which have been in management positions in Transportation and Mechanical operations, Whitehead joined CN in 2021 as General Manager in Chicago, Ill., following service at Norfolk Southern as Vice President, Transportation. He was appointed Senior Vice President, Network Operations in June 2022. 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.
Drysdale in July assumed the role of interim Chief Commercial Officer, following the departure of Remi G. Lalonde. She spent the first decade of her nearly 30-year career at CN in a variety of roles in Sales and Marketing. She held executive positions in Investor Relations, Finance, Corporate/Business Development, Sustainability, and most recently as Chief Stakeholder Relations Officer. She is now permanent Chief Commercial Officer, a role, the Class I has said, “is a critical executive position overseeing CN’s strong and experienced team responsible for sales and marketing.” Bilingual and based in Montreal since 1997, Drysdale earned 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,” CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson said. “Their proven cross-functional leadership is instrumental in delivering value for our shareholders and customers. I look forward to working closely with them. I thank Derek for his contributions to the company and wish him the best in the future.”
In other CN news, the railroad and Congebec, a Canadian logistics provider of distribution services for the food, retail and packaged goods industries, are collaborating on a “state-of-the-art” cold storage facility at CN’s Calgary Logistics Park.
