New Executive Vice-President and Special Advisor to the CEO will Become Chief Commercial Officer in 2024

MONTREAL, Jan. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) today announced the appointment of Remi G. Lalonde as Executive Vice-President and Special Advisor to the CEO in anticipation of his transition to the role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of CN later in the year.  

The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) role is a critical executive role, overseeing CN’s strong, experienced, customer focused Sales and Marketing team. As a former CEO, CFO and SVP at a prominent forest products company, Remi has led teams, executed strategy, managed regulatory matters, engaged with Indigenous communities and stakeholders, headed manufacturing operations, and worked with investors and suppliers. His successful track record of cross-functional experience and first-hand knowledge of the importance of supply chains as well as his focus on business growth and sustainability will help drive CN’s 2024-2026 growth agenda.

"I am very pleased that Remi is joining the CN team, preparing to lead our commercial team. The role of CCO is of the utmost importance. The diversity of his experience, including as a railway customer and as a CEO, positions him well to lead the Sales and Marketing team. He will play an instrumental role in accelerating sustainable, profitable growth.’’

• Tracy Robinson, President and Chief Executive Officer at CN
  

Remi, who starts today, will spend time embedded within CN’s operations to learn about scheduled railroading, servicing customers, and executing CN’s ‘Make the Plan, Run the Plan, Sell the Plan’ model. Once this intensive familiarization is completed, Remi will transition into the role of Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. Doug MacDonald, CN’s current Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, will remain in that role until the transition is completed later this year.
        
Biographical Notes
Fluently bilingual in his native French as well as English and based in Montreal, Remi G. Lalonde is the former President and CEO of a Quebec-based forest products company. After several years at a Wall Street Law firm, he joined the forest products company as senior securities counsel. Over his tenure at the company, he served in corporate and customer focused roles, including as Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer and as General Manager for a critical manufacturing facility. Remi holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

About CN
CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. CN’s network connects Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. South through an 18,600-mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

CN Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements by CN included in this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under Canadian securities laws. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. CN cautions that its assumptions may not materialize and that current economic conditions render such assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made, subject to greater uncertainty. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “assumes,” “outlook,” “plans,” “targets,” or other similar words. Forward-looking statements reflect information as of the date on which they are made. CN assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable securities laws. In the event CN does update any forward-looking statement, no inference should be made that CN will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statement. Reference should be made to Management’s Discussion and Analysis in CN’s annual and interim reports, Annual Information Form and Form 40-F, filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators and available on CN’s website, for a description of major risk factors.

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