Norfolk Southern’s Nabanita Nag, Executive Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, has been named an Atlanta Business Chronicle 2024 Corporate Counsel Award Honoree. Nag was selected based on her outstanding work as a general counsel leading a large legal department as it helped Norfolk Southern navigate a complex corporate crisis and emerge a stronger company. These awards honor the top attorneys in Georgia practicing in the legal departments of corporations, associations, and other private sector organizations.

The Chronicle showcased profiles of the 2024 Corporate Counsel award winners in a special section of its May issue and celebrated their achievements at an awards ceremony on May 2.

"It's an honor to be recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a 2024 Corporate Counsel Award honoree, an accolade that reflects the dedication and collaboration of my entire team," said Nag. "This recognition underscores Norfolk Southern's commitment to upholding the highest standards of legal excellence and corporate governance."

Broad leadership throughout Norfolk Southern

Nag oversees our audit and compliance, government relations, corporate communications, corporate giving, and legal departments. She leads shareholder and stakeholder engagement efforts for the company.

Nag skillfully aligns these departments to safeguard the company’s reputation and ensure consistent messaging across internal and external channels. In 2023, she played an essential role in guiding our response to a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

With experience in the highly regulated financial services sector and inhouse experience at two Fortune 100 companies, Nabanita applied those skills to the complexities of the legal and regulatory challenges facing the company. She has leveraged two decades of experience to shape legal, regulatory, and corporate communication strategies, build relationships with elected leaders and government officials, and oversee environmental remediation efforts. Under her leadership, Norfolk Southern quickly forged collaborative relationships with regulators; local, state, and federal elected officials; and the community, as we made promises and ensured we delivered those promises. 

Nag proactively engages with political and regulatory leaders in Washington, D.C., to advance our business objectives and build relationships with rail industry stakeholders. She also serves as an ambassador for the company to the City of Atlanta, where Norfolk Southern is headquartered.

Fostering diversity in the legal profession

Nag is committed to developing diversity in the law profession both at Norfolk Southern and in the Atlanta community. In 2023, Nag signed a pledge with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) detailing her personal and organizational commitments to lead and advocate for DEI in the legal profession. She also developed a new DEI committee to guide the legal department’s efforts in advancing DEI initiatives.

Additionally, she assisted two high-profile Atlanta-based law firms in establishing a fellowship program that includes an opportunity for three diverse law fellows to work in-house at Norfolk Southern for two weeks.  

Advancing safety within the company

Nag's strategic leadership extends to regulatory and safety initiatives.

She played a leading role in the development and implementation of our six-point safety plan and the decision to hire Atkins Nuclear Secured to audit and drive operational excellence across the company’s safety-first culture. These are several of many strategic initiatives contributing to our goal of becoming the gold standard for safety in the railroad industry.