Alan Howard Shaw is the president and chief executive officer of Norfolk Southern, a Class I railroad operating freight trains in the United States. He has held the CEO position since May 1, 2022.^[1][2]

Early life

Shaw attended Virginia Tech and received a Bachelor of Science in 1989 and a Master of Business Administration there in 1992. At Harvard Business School, he completed the General Management Program in 2012.^{[3][4][5][1][6][7]}

Career

Prior to becoming president of Norfolk Southern in 2021 and CEO in 2022, Shaw was executive vice president and chief marketing officer at the company for six years. He had previously been vice president of intermodal operations at the company. His first vice president position at Norfolk Southern was vice president of chemicals, beginning in 2009. He also sits on the board of Virginia Wesleyan University. He sits on the boards of other educational institutions as well.^{[2][1][8][6][7]}

In December 2022, Shaw announced a new strategy for Norfolk Southern at the company’s Investor Day, the first since he became CEO, that placed less of a focus on operating ratio and precision scheduled railroading. Precision scheduled railroading is a method that the Class I railroads deployed to streamline operations, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shaw’s strategy, instead, focuses on building the resources required to provide reliable service throughout the year, instead of frequently furloughing employees. The plan also includes investing in locomotives, track improvements, rail yards, technology, and employee training during economic downturns.^[9][10][11]

He has drawn attention in the wake of the February 3, 2023 East Palestine railroad derailment of a 150-car train and chemical leakage in East Palestine, Ohio.^[12] He visited the community in the week following the accident. He followed this with a public letter to the community, which began, "We will not walk away, East Palestine." On a second visit he met with the city's Mayor Trent Conaway, Congressman Bill Johnson, Fire Chief Keith Drabick, and first responders.^[13][14] On February 22, 2023, he appeared at a town hall on CNN hosted by Jake Tapper. In the town hall, he apologized to East Palestine residents, saying, "I'm terribly sorry for what has happened to your community." He added, "I want you to know that Norfolk Southern is here, and we're going to stay here. And we're going to make this right."^[15]

References