CN announced that it has appointed Tracy Robinson as President and CEO and as a member of its Board of Directors, effective February 28, 2022, following the previously announced retirement of Jean-Jacques (“JJ”) Ruest, who has departed CN’s Board on February 28, 2022 but remains at CN in an advisory role until March 31, 2022 to ensure a seamless transition.
Ms. Robinson has joined CN from TC Energy and previously spent almost three decades at Canadian Pacific, is a well-respected and seasoned public company executive who brings more than 35 years of operational management, strategy development, and project execution experience to drive growth and profitability to CN. She has a proven track record as an extraordinary high-performing leader, for which she is highly regarded within the Canadian federal and provincial regulated natural gas industry and beyond.
Robert Pace, CN’s Board Chair, commented that “We are thrilled to have Tracy join CN as President and CEO and are confident that CN has the right team to lead it into the next phase of growth. She brings more than 35 years of operational management, strategy development, and project execution experience to drive growth and profitability. I would like to thank Shauneen Bruder, Vice-Chair, for leading the Search Committee through a robust process that identified the right leader to drive growth, continued operational improvement, technological advancement, and shareholder value, and attract a world-class workforce.
Ms. Robinson stated that “This is a transformational period at CN, and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities ahead. Our focus is on building the railway of the future – one that creates shareholder value by meeting the needs of our customers, employees, communities, and the economies that depend on us, safely, reliably, and efficiently. I look forward to working closely with CN’s extremely talented railroaders, Board, and management team as we take CN to the next level of performance and industry leadership. I also want to say that I respect and value CN’s rich history in Montréal and in Québec, where the common and official language is French. I am excited to be returning to the wonderful city of Montréal, and I have already begun French lessons to ensure I am able to fully embrace the experience of living in Québec and communicate with CN’s valued employees and customers across the continent.”
Ms. Robinson has joined CN from TC Energy, where she was Executive Vice-President and President, Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines and President, Coastal GasLink. Prior to joining TC Energy, Ms. Robinson spent 27 years at Canadian Pacific, including executive roles spanning Commercial, Operations, and Finance. Throughout her professional career, Ms. Robinson has held a number of industry and private board positions, and currently serves as a member of the Board of the Business Council of British Columbia and on the Campaign Committee and the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Edward’s School of Business of the University of Saskatchewan. She also represents TC Energy on the Board of the Canadian Gas Association, is a member of the Business Council of Alberta, and is on the Board of STARS.