People News: NS, AITX, CN

Left to Right: Claude Mongeau, Chair of the Board of Directors, NS; Ed Kaminski, Senior Vice President of Commercial Leasing, AITX; Jerry Finan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Leasing, AITX; and Cassandra Mullee, Vice-President, Network Operations, CN. (Photos Courtesy of Railway Age, AITX and CN)

Norfolk Southern (NS) names Claude Mongeau Chair of the Board of Directors. Also, American Industrial Transport, Inc. (AITX) promotes Ed Kaminski and Jerry Finan to Senior Vice Presidents of Commercial Leasing; and CN announces Cassandra Mullee as its new Vice-President, Network Operations.

NS

NS announced on May 28 that its Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Claude Mongeau, former CEO of Canadian National Railway Company (CN), as the independent Chair of the Board, effective immediately.

Mongeau will serve as Chair of the Executive Committee and resign from his positions on the Human Capital Management and Compensation and Safety Committees.

In addition, Francesca A. DeBiase, former Executive Vice President and Global Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald’s Corporation, has been appointed as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee and Richard H. Anderson, former CEO of Delta Air Lines, has been appointed as Chair of the Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee.

The remaining committee chairs will continue in their existing positions. Additional committee membership appointments are available here. These appointments are also effective immediately.

“During this critical time for our storied franchise, I look forward to collaborating with the board and know we all are committed to holding management accountable to deliver on our promises to shareholders,” Mongeau said. “The board has appreciated the engagement with shareholders over the last few months and shares their urgency around enhancing service, improving network operations, and broad-based productivity gains to close the gap with our peers.”

“Norfolk Southern’s new directors bring diverse expertise to our board, and we are accelerating the onboarding process so the company can immediately benefit from their valuable perspectives,” DeBiase said. “We are committed to bringing fresh perspectives onto our board, ensuring we’re consistently positioned to advance the strategy and deliver results.”

“The board is taking the results of our recent Annual Meeting seriously, particularly as it relates to executive compensation. Over the coming months, the Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee will further our ongoing shareholder engagement to help ensure their interests are aligned with our executive compensation program.”

DeBiase has served as an Independent Director of the NS Board since 2023. She is a seasoned supply chain, sustainability, and finance executive, with more than 30 years of global supply chain expertise across restaurant, food, toys, packaging, logistics, construction, real estate, and marketing services.

From 2020 to 2022, DeBiase served as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald’s Corporation. From 2018 to 2020, she served as Chief Sustainability Officer, where she was a champion for sustainability across the McDonald’s system, working with leaders to “embed social and environmental goals into long-term plans to drive meaningful, industry-wide change.” DeBiase led the revitalization of McDonald’s sustainability vision under the platform of Scale for Good. Prior to that role, she held various accounting, finance, and supply chain positions at McDonald’s. DeBiase began her career at Ernst & Young as an auditor in the retail and consumer products practice.

Anderson was elected as an Independent director of the NS Board in 2024. During his career, he has navigated companies through transformative and key strategic changes, including formative mergers and acquisitions, post-bankruptcy recovery, and a major recession.

From 2017 to 2020, Anderson served as President and CEO of Amtrak. From 2007 to 2016, he served as CEO of Delta Air Lines. His significant executive leadership experience and expertise in the railroad and transportation industries allow him to “provide meaningful oversight and practical advice on sector issues, such as operations, safety, strategic planning, labor relations, logistics, and government and stakeholder relations, which support NS’s balanced strategy,” the Class I stated in a release.

AITX

AITX on May 28 announced the appointments of Ed Kaminski and Jerry Finan as Senior Vice Presidents of Commercial Leasing. In these roles, Kaminski will oversee the eastern region of North America and Finan will lead AITX’s western region, both with a dedicated focus on “building customer relationships, forming strategic partnerships and driving revenue growth.”

Kaminski has more than 30 years of management experience with the company, spanning across railcar sales, leasing and marketing. He began his career with ACF Industries with continued growth leading to his recent role as Vice President of Sales, helping develop AITX’s commercial structure. Kaminski has consistently fostered customer relationships while providing strong leadership for internal teams. He is an expert in railroad history, technology and railcar manufacturing, having authored nine books on these topics, including a documentary script. Since 2002, Kaminski has been President of a non-profit organization that restored a historic New Jersey railroad station, revitalized as a successful museum. He is a graduate of Rutgers University.

Finan brings more than 25 years of experience in the North American rail transportation industry. His diverse background spans various sectors, including railcar leasing, agricultural shippers and Class I railroad operations. As a seasoned rail industry executive, Finan has “consistently demonstrated the ability to provide customer solutions and empower high performing teams,” according to AITX. Prior to this role, Finan served as Vice President of Leasing at SMBC Rail Services where he played a pivotal role in expanding its leasing portfolio, building customer relationships, and driving customer value. He also held leadership roles at Gavilon Agriculture, Musket Corp, and served more than 13 years at Union Pacific Railroad. Finan received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kans.

“We are excited to promote Ed and Jerry as leaders of the AITX team as we strive to enhance our full-service, leasing and repair operations to provide unparalleled value to our customers. Their wealth of industry knowledge and leadership experience will be instrumental as we continue to support and add value to our customers,” said AITX Chief Commercial Officer Tina Beckberger.

CN

CN on May 27 announced via LinkedIn that Cassandra Mullee has been named Vice-President, Network Operations. She joins CN with more than 16 years in the railway industry.

“Her wealth of experience will be instrumental in driving our mission to enhance service excellence and deliver unparalleled value to our clients,” CN wrote in the post.

In 2022, Mullee was named as one of Railway Age’s 25 Under 40 honorees. At the time, she served as Director-Chicago Coordination Officer for NS.