Lalonde Appointed CN Executive Vice President
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
Remi Lalonde will transition to the role of CCO, effective April 24. (Image Courtesy of LinkedIn)
CN on Jan. 8 announced that Remi G. Lalonde has been appointed as Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO, effective immediately, in anticipation of his transition to the role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) later in the year.
According to CN, the CCO is a critical executive role, overseeing the Class I railroad’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,” CN said.
“I am very pleased that Remi is joining the CN team, preparing to lead our commercial team,” said CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson, Railway Age’s 2024 Railroader of the Year. “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.’’
Remi 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, CN says Remi will transition into the role of Executive Vice President and CCO. 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.
Fluently bilingual in his native French and in English and based in Montreal, 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.
