North America - Railway Age on 9 Dec 2021 announced that its 2022 Railroader of the Year Award goes to two exemplary and visionary North American rail industry leaders, Canadian Pacific President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel, and Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Ottensmeyer.
 
"Keith Creel and Pat Ottensmeyer will reconfigure the North American rail landscape by completing what would be the first Class I merger in more than 20 years and creating North America's first transnational freight railroad, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, or CPKC. This is a landmark combination that will enable seamless, single-line, freight rail service linking Canada, the United States, and Mexico, opening up new opportunities for rail market share growth and vastly improved customer service. Merging these two iconic railroads, each with a unique history and legacy, required strategic planning, cooperation, enthusiasm, and execution," Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono said of the recipients of the 59th annual award."
 
"I am honored to receive this recognition on behalf of the dedicated people who make this iconic company run safely and efficiently. Tremendous work has been done by many to generate this once-in-a-lifetime partnership with Kansas City Southern. I am humbled to be recognized with this award for the second time and particularly pleased to share it with Pat Ottensmeyer," Mr. Creel said.
 
"I am pleased to accept this recognition on behalf of the nearly 7,000 KCS employees in the U.S. and Mexico. KCS has a rich legacy dating back to 1887 of forward-thinking, strategic connections, and vision, and because of the dedication of our hard-working and talented employees, together with CP, we have a very bright future," said Mr. Ottensmeyer.
 
Railway Age previously named Mr. Ottensmeyer Railroader of the Year in 2020 and named Mr. Creel Railroader of the year in 2021.
 
Both will be honored at the annual Railroader of the Year Dinner, hosted by the Western Railway Club, on 15 Mar 2020 at the Union League Club of Chicago.
 
Mr. Creel became President and CEO of Canadian Pacific on 31 Jan 2017.
 
He is the 17th person to lead the company since 1881.
 
Creel was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in February 2013 and joined the CP Board of Directors in May 2015.
 
Prior to joining CP, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at CN.
 
He held various positions at CN, including Executive Vice President Operations, Senior Vice President Eastern Region, Senior Vice President Western Region, and Vice President of the Prairie Division.
 
Creel began his railroad career at Burlington Northern Railway in 1992 as an intermodal ramp manager in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
He also spent part of his career at Grand Trunk Western Railroad as a superintendent and general manager, and at Illinois Central Railroad as a trainmaster and director of corridor operations, prior to its merger with CN in 1999.
 
Creel holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Jacksonville State University.
 
He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
 
He has a military background as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, during which time he served in the Persian Gulf War in Saudi Arabia.
 
Mr. Ottensmeyer was elected as KCS President and CEO 1 Jul 2016.
 
From April 2015 to June 2016, he served as President of KCS.
 
From October 2008 through March 2015, he served as KCS Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing.
 
He joined KCS in May 2006 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and served in that role until October 2008.
 
Ottensmeyer has a broad range of railroad experience from the various senior executive positions he has held at KCS over the past 13 years, and also with BNSF.
 
During his time as Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, he developed a deep understanding of KCS's strategy as well as its customers and growth opportunities.
 
He has an extensive understanding of financial matters, which helped him lead KCS's Finance department during his time as CFO.
 
He came to KCS with substantial experience in financial matters from serving in various executive roles, including treasurer and chief financial officer positions.
 
Ottensmeyer holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University.
 
Railway Age's Railroader of the Year Award
 
The Railroader of the Year Award was initiated by Modern Railroads magazine in 1964 as the "Man of the Year" award.
 
Railway Age acquired Modern Railroads in 1991 and has presented the award annually since then.
 
1964: D.W. Brosnan, Southern Railway System
1965: Stuart T. Saunders, Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1966: Stuart T. Saunders, Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1967: Louis W. Menk, Northern Pacific Railway
1968: William B. Johnson, Illinois Central Railroad
1969: John W. Barriger, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
1970: John S. Reed, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
1971: Jervis Langdon, Jr., Penn Central Transportation Co.
1972: Charles Luna, United Transportation Union
1973: James B. Germany, Southern Pacific Transportation Co.
1974: L. Stanley Crane, Southern Railway System
1975: Frank E. Barnett, Union Pacific Railroad
1976: Dr. William J. Harris, Jr., Association of American Railroads
1977: Edward G. Jordan, Conrail
1978: Robert M. Brown, Union Pacific Railroad
1979: Theodore C. Lutz, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
1980: John G. German, Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
1981: Lawrence Cena, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
1982: A. Paul Funkhouser, Family Lines Rail System
1983: L. Stanley Crane, Conrail
1984: Hays T. Watkins, CSX Corp.
1985: John L. Cann, Canadian National
1986: Raymond C. Burton, Jr., Trailer Train Co.
1987: Willis B. Kyle, Kyle Railways
1988: Darius W. Gaskins, Jr., Burlington Northern
1989: W. Graham Claytor, Jr., Amtrak
1990: Arnold B. McKinnon, Norfolk Southern Corp.
1991: Mike Walsh, Union Pacific Railroad
1992: William H. Dempsey, Association of American Railroads
1993: Raymond C. Burton, Jr., TTX Co.
1994: L.S. "Jake" Jacobson, Copper Basin Railway
1995: Edwin Moyers, Southern Pacific Transportation Co.
1996: Robert D. Krebs, AT&SF, and Gerald Grinstein, Burlington Northern
1997: Paul M. Tellier, Canadian National
1998: David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern
1999: Edward A. Burkhardt, Wisconsin Central Transportation Co.
2000: The Railroad Worker ("Railroader of the Century")
2001: Michael R. Haverty, Kansas City Southern
2002: E. Hunter Harrison, CN/Illinois Central
2003: Richard K. Davidson, Union Pacific Railroad
2004: Robert J. Ritchie, Canadian Pacific Railway
2005: David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern
2006: Richard F. Timmons, American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association
2007: William E. Wimmer, Union Pacific Railroad
2008: Stephen C. Tobias, Norfolk Southern
2009: Michael J. Ward, CSX
2010: Matthew K. Rose, BNSF
2011: Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern
2012: David L. Starling, Kansas City Southern
2013: James R. Young, Union Pacific
2014: Joseph H. Boardman, Amtrak
2015: E. Hunter Harrison, Canadian Pacific
2016: Carl R. Ice, BNSF Railway
2017: Thomas F. Prendergast, New York MTA
2018: John C. Hellmann, Genesee & Wyoming
2019: Jean-Jacques Ruest, CN
2020: Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, Kansas City Southern
2021: Keith Creel, Canadian Pacific
2022: Keith Creel, Canadian Pacific; and Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, Kansas City Southern
 
William C. Vantuono.