V. James Vena
Chief Executive Officer
Executive
2 yr
25 reports
Union Pacific Corporation ·UNP
Divisional railroad with operations, sales, and IT reporting direct to CEO
Transportation · Fortune #177 · Divisional structure · 32K employees · Omaha, NE
View as of:
7
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
2.4
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
3 levels
4.3 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
71%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$24.5B
Operating income
$9.8B
Net income
$7.1B
Total assets
$69.7B
Shares out
593M
Sourced from Union Pacific Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-25 ↗ View on SEC
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Union Pacific Corporation organizational chart
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Divisional railroad with operations, sales, and IT reporting directly to the CEO. This page maps Union Pacific’s executive structure, detailing the CEO’s unusually broad span, key divisional leaders, recent leadership changes, compensation, board governance, and peer comparisons.
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 W. Anthony Will joined as Director
Elected to Board effective January 5, 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO to take day‑to‑day operational oversight, reducing the CEO’s span and adding a buffer between CEO and Operations.
- Move IT under Operations Shift the CIO to report to EVP Operations to tighten alignment between technology and network execution.
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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The people
Who's running this
8 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Eric J. Gehringer
EVP Operations
Operations
5 yr
4 reports
internal
Jennifer L. Hamann
EVP & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
6 yr
3 reports
internal
Kenny G. Rocker
EVP Marketing & Sales
Marketing & Sales
7 yr
3 reports
Rahul Jalali
EVP & Chief Information Officer
Information Technology
4 yr
3 reports
internal
Christina B. Conlin
EVP, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
Legal
3 yr
2 reports
internal
Joshua K. Perkes
SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources
2 yr
2 reports
Open Role
Senior Vice President, Strategy
Strategy
1 yr
1 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 5 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
V. James Vena $20.3M
- Base salary
- $1.48M
- Stock awards
- $9.00M
- Option awards
- $6.00M
- Non-equity incentive
- $3.44M
- Other
- $384K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Jennifer L. Hamann $6.1M
- Base salary
- $708K
- Stock awards
- $1.80M
- Option awards
- $1.20M
- Non-equity incentive
- $1.22M
- Other
- $31K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Eric J. Gehringer $5.0M
- Base salary
- $693K
- Stock awards
- $1.65M
- Option awards
- $1.10M
- Non-equity incentive
- $519K
- Other
- $54K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Kenny G. Rocker $4.7M
- Base salary
- $601K
- Stock awards
- $1.35M
- Option awards
- $900K
- Non-equity incentive
- $806K
- Other
- $22K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Rahul Jalali $3.2M
- Base salary
- $563K
- Stock awards
- $1.05M
- Option awards
- $700K
- Other
- $58K
- 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
7×CEO base salary
4×NEO base salary
5×Director cash retainer
Executives must meet stock ownership multiples of salary.
| Holder | Shares | % of class |
|---|---|---|
| V. James Vena | 98K | <1% |
| Jennifer L. Hamann | 182K | <1% |
| Eric J. Gehringer | 84K | <1% |
| Kenny G. Rocker | 107K | <1% |
| Rahul Jalali | 43K | <1% |
The businesses
How Union Pacific Corporation divides the work
5 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Operations
20K employees
EVP Operations (Eric J. Gehringer)
Runs train operations, network planning, safety, and mechanical functions across the rail system.
Marketing & Sales
2K employees
EVP Marketing & Sales (Kenny G. Rocker)
Manages customer relationships and revenue across bulk, industrial, and intermodal markets.
Information Technology
3K employees
EVP & CIO (Rahul Jalali)
Supports dispatching, network optimization, safety systems, and enterprise IT platforms.
Finance
1K employees
EVP & CFO (Jennifer L. Hamann)
Oversees financial planning, accounting, tax, treasury, and investor relations.
Legal
300 employees
EVP & Chief Legal Officer (Christina B. Conlin)
Handles legal, regulatory, governance, and corporate secretary responsibilities.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Divisional railroad with operations, sales, and IT reporting direct to the CEO.
Union Pacific’s CEO has a broad span that includes Operations, Marketing & Sales, IT, Finance, Legal, HR, and Strategy without an intervening COO layer. This creates clear P&L accountability across the railroad’s core operating divisions while keeping corporate functions centralized.
The structure reflects a capital‑intensive, asset‑heavy business where network operations dominate value creation. Operations holds the deepest bench beneath the EVP Operations, while IT remains elevated due to the importance of dispatching, network planning, and safety systems. Strategy is comparatively lean and advisory, consistent with a mature network business.
- No COO role; EVP Operations reports directly to CEO
- IT elevated to EVP alongside core railroad functions
The comparison
How Union Pacific Corporation stacks up
Compared with other Class I railroads, Union Pacific’s structure is typical in its divisional emphasis but distinctive in the CEO’s direct span. Peers such as BNSF and CSX often insert a COO or President between the CEO and daily operations, whereas Union Pacific keeps Operations directly under the CEO. Relative to …
C-suite size
Union Pacific Corporation
8
8
Canadian National
8
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
9
BNSF Railway
7
Reporting depth
Union Pacific Corporation
3 levels
4 levels
4 levels
Canadian National
5 levels
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
5 levels
BNSF Railway
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Union Pacific Corporation
4 yr
5 yr
4 yr
Canadian National
6 yr
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
5 yr
BNSF Railway
7 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
Union Pacific Corporation — no COO — no CAIO
Canadian National ✓ COO — no CAIO
Canadian Pacific Kansas City ✓ COO — no CAIO
BNSF Railway ✓ COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most consequential change was the exit of President Elizabeth Whited in May 2025, leaving the CEO with a broader direct span.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-25
- CEO
- V. James Vena
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 4.3 yr
First full year without a President role.
Named executive officers (5)
- V. James Vena - CEO since 2023
- Jennifer L. Hamann - CFO since 2019
- Eric J. Gehringer - EVP Operations since 2020
- Kenny G. Rocker - EVP Marketing & Sales since 2018
- Rahul Jalali - EVP & CIO since 2021
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-03-25
- CEO
- V. James Vena
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 7
- Avg tenure
- 4 yr
President role still in place.
Named executive officers (5)
- V. James Vena - CEO since 2023
- Elizabeth F. Whited - President since 2023
- Jennifer L. Hamann - CFO since 2019
- Eric J. Gehringer - EVP Operations since 2020
- Kenny G. Rocker - EVP Marketing & Sales since 2018
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-03-25
- CEO
- Lance M. Fritz
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 7
- Avg tenure
- 6.1 yr
CEO transition year to Vena in August 2023.
Named executive officers (4)
- Lance M. Fritz - CEO since 2015
- Jennifer L. Hamann - CFO since 2019
- Eric J. Gehringer - EVP Operations since 2020
- Kenny G. Rocker - EVP Marketing & Sales since 2018
Year-over-year changes
Addition of a President increased CEO span temporarily.
- CEO span: 7 → 8
- C-suite size: 7 → 7
- Avg tenure: 6.1 → 4 yr
- new Elizabeth F. Whited - President (DEF 14A 2024)
Removal of President role simplified reporting lines.
- CEO span: 8 → 7
- C-suite size: 7 → 6
- Avg tenure: 4 → 4.3 yr
- departed Elizabeth F. Whited - President (was President) (DEF 14A 2026)
The board
Board of directors
11 directors. 10 of 11 independent (91%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Michael R. McCarthy
Chair Independent
Chairman, Union Pacific; Chairman, McCarthy Group
V. James Vena
Inside
CEO, Union Pacific
Sheri H. Edison
Independent
Former EVP & General Counsel, Amcor plc
Also on: Cardinal Health
Teresa M. Finley
Independent
Former CMO, UPS
Deborah C. Hopkins
Independent
Former CEO, Citi Ventures
Jane H. Lute
Independent
Strategic Advisor, SICPA
Doyle R. Simons
Independent
Former CEO, Weyerhaeuser
John K. Tien, Jr.
Independent
Former Deputy Secretary, DHS
John P. Wiehoff
Independent
Former CEO, C.H. Robinson
W. Anthony Will
Independent
Former CEO, CF Industries
Also on: Olin Corp
Christopher J. Williams
Independent
Chairman, Siebert Williams Shank
The board, organized
Board committees
4 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit Committee
100% independent
- Sheri H. Edison
- Teresa M. Finley
- John K. Tien, Jr.
- W. Anthony Will
- John P. Wiehoff
Compensation and Talent Committee
100% independent
- Sheri H. Edison
- Teresa M. Finley
- Deborah C. Hopkins
- John P. Wiehoff
Corporate Governance, Nominating and Sustainability Committee
100% independent
- Michael R. McCarthy
- Doyle R. Simons
- Jane H. Lute
- Christopher J. Williams
Finance Committee
100% independent
- Michael R. McCarthy
- John K. Tien, Jr.
- W. Anthony Will
- Christopher J. Williams
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Union Pacific?
V. James Vena has served as CEO since August 14, 2023.
What type of organizational structure does Union Pacific use?
Union Pacific uses a divisional structure centered on railroad operations, sales, and supporting corporate functions.
How many direct reports does Union Pacific's CEO have?
The CEO has seven direct reports, including Operations, Finance, Sales, IT, Legal, HR, and Strategy.
How has Union Pacific's leadership changed recently?
The President role was eliminated in May 2025 with Elizabeth Whited’s departure, increasing the CEO’s direct span.
Does Union Pacific have a COO?
No. Union Pacific does not have a COO; EVP Operations reports directly to the CEO.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Dec 12 2025
- 8-K Filing, May 9 2025
- Proxy Statement, 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Union Pacific Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Union Pacific Corporation 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
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APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Union Pacific Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/union-pacific/MLA 9th
"Union Pacific Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/union-pacific/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Union Pacific Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/union-pacific/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Union Pacific Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-25. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/100885/000010088526000098/unp-20260324.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/union-pacific/ · last updated 2026-04-01