internal
Mark R. George
President & Chief Executive Officer
Executive
2 yr
30 reports
Leadership change Mark R. George was promoted to CEO (from CFO) · DEF 14A, Mar 2026
Norfolk Southern Corporation ·NSC
Post-crisis railroad led by operations-heavy executive team
Transportation · Fortune #346 · Hybrid structure · 20K employees · Atlanta, Georgia
View as of:
7
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
3.8
Avg span
moderate
2
Max depth
2 levels
1.7 yr
Avg tenure
↓ 2.5yr from FY2024
43%
Internal hires
near industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$12.2B
Operating income
$4.4B
Net income
$2.9B
Total assets
$45.2B
Shares out
225M
Sourced from Norfolk Southern Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-27 ↗ View on SEC
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Norfolk Southern Corporation organizational chart
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Norfolk Southern operates with an operations-centric executive structure, where the COO and commercial leaders play an unusually prominent role. This page details the current leadership team, reporting lines, recent changes, and how the railroad’s structure compares with Class I peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Mark R. George moved into President & Chief Executive Officer
Promoted to CEO following leadership transition in September 2024.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Safety Officer Create a standalone Chief Safety Officer role reporting to the CEO to further institutionalize safety oversight.
- Move Digital Under COO Shift the Chief Information & Digital Officer to report to the COO to tighten alignment with operations.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
7 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
John F. Orr
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Operations
1 yr
14 reports
Anil Bhatt
Executive Vice President & Chief Information & Digital Officer
Technology
1 yr
9 reports
internal
Jason A. Zampi
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
1 yr
10 reports
internal
Claude E. Elkins
Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer
Commercial
5 yr
8 reports
Open Role
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Human Resources
1 yr
6 reports
Open Role
Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer
Legal
1 yr
4 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 1 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Mark R. George $16.2M
- Base salary
- $1.10M
- Stock awards
- $9.20M
- Option awards
- $2.30M
- Non-equity incentive
- $2.93M
- Pension change
- $511K
- Other
- $201K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The skin in the game
Beneficial ownership
Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.
Stock ownership requirements
Stock ownership guidelines disclosed but specific multiples not quantified.
The businesses
How Norfolk Southern Corporation divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Rail Operations
12K employees
Chief Operating Officer (John F. Orr)
Manages train operations, network safety, terminals, and transportation execution.
Commercial
3K employees
Chief Commercial Officer (Claude E. Elkins)
Oversees sales, marketing, pricing, and customer solutions across freight segments.
Finance
1K employees
Chief Financial Officer (Jason A. Zampi)
Responsible for financial planning, reporting, treasury, and investor relations.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Norfolk Southern’s most distinctive feature is its operations-heavy executive structure, with the COO and commercial leadership playing outsized roles relative to corporate or product functions.
The CEO directly oversees a compact but powerful C-suite dominated by operations, finance, and commercial execution, reflecting the company’s focus on safety, service reliability, and margin recovery following recent crises.
The organization remains relatively flat at the top, with roughly seven direct reports to the CEO and limited layering between executive leadership and frontline operations. This structure emphasizes rapid decision-making and accountability in a highly regulated, asset-intensive railroad environment.
- COO is a central power center
- Relatively flat executive hierarchy
- Recent leadership turnover tied to safety and merger activity
The comparison
How Norfolk Southern Corporation stacks up
Compared with other Class I railroads, Norfolk Southern’s structure closely resembles peers like CSX and Union Pacific, with a strong COO role and fewer standalone product or regional CEOs. Unlike some peers that emphasize regional operating presidents, Norfolk Southern concentrates authority at the enterprise level. …
C-suite size
Norfolk Southern Corporation
7
Canadian National Railway
10
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
9
Reporting depth
Norfolk Southern Corporation
2 levels
4 levels
5 levels
Canadian National Railway
5 levels
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
5 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Norfolk Southern Corporation
2 yr
4 yr
5 yr
Canadian National Railway
6 yr
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
5 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
Norfolk Southern Corporation ✓ COO — no CAIO
Canadian National Railway ✓ COO — no CAIO
Canadian Pacific Kansas City ✓ COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most consequential change was the promotion of Mark George to CEO in late 2024 following a leadership reset.
- Date not confirmed promotedMark R. George President & Chief Executive Officer
Promoted to CEO following leadership transition in September 2024.
Source - Date not confirmed newJohn F. Orr Chief Operating Officer
Hired as EVP & COO effective March 2024 to strengthen operational execution.
Source - Date not confirmed newAnil Bhatt Chief Information & Digital Officer
Joined in August 2024 to lead digital modernization initiatives.
Source
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-27
- CEO
- Mark R. George
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 1.7 yr
Leadership stabilized following CEO transition.
Named executive officers (5)
- Mark R. George - CEO since 2024
- Jason A. Zampi - CFO since 2024
- John F. Orr - COO since 2024
- Claude E. Elkins - CCO since 2019
- Anil Bhatt - CIDO since 2024
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-03-28
- CEO
- Alan H. Shaw
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 4.2 yr
Year marked by safety crisis and leadership turnover.
Named executive officers (3)
- Alan H. Shaw - CEO since 2022
- Mark R. George - CFO since 2019
- Claude E. Elkins - CCO since 2019
FY2023
10-K filed 2024-02-09
- CEO
- Alan H. Shaw
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 5.1 yr
Pre-crisis leadership structure.
Named executive officers (2)
- Alan H. Shaw - CEO since 2022
- Claude E. Elkins - CCO since 2019
Year-over-year changes
A CEO transition and executive refresh reduced tenure and tightened the top team.
- CEO span: 8 → 7
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 4.2 → 1.7 yr
- promoted Mark R. George - CEO (was CFO) (DEF 14A, Mar 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Norfolk Southern?
Mark R. George has served as President and CEO since September 2024.
What type of organizational structure does Norfolk Southern use?
Norfolk Southern uses a hybrid, operations-centric enterprise structure.
How many direct reports does Norfolk Southern's CEO have?
The CEO has seven direct executive reports.
How has Norfolk Southern's leadership changed recently?
The company promoted a new CEO and hired new COO and CIDO roles during 2024.
Does Norfolk Southern have a COO?
Yes. John F. Orr has served as Chief Operating Officer since March 2024.
Sources
- Company Proxy Statement, Mar 2025
- SEC EDGAR: Norfolk Southern Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Norfolk Southern Corporation 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Norfolk Southern Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/norfolk-southern/MLA 9th
"Norfolk Southern Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/norfolk-southern/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Norfolk Southern Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/norfolk-southern/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Norfolk Southern Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-27. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/702165/000119312526127620/nsc-20260327.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/norfolk-southern/ · last updated 2026-04-01