Last week, Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer Annie Adams was honored as one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2022 Women of Influence. The award honors women who are driving business in their industries and leaving an indelible mark on their communities. As part of the Business Chronicle’s coverage, the honorees shared tips for excelling in leadership positions and how they empower their employees. Putting people first makes the best leaders, many said.

Annie picked up leadership skills by playing soccer at Davidson College in North Carolina. As with sports, Annie noted, it's important to assemble a diverse team with various strengths and backgrounds in the business world. She leveraged the concept of teamwork to overcome pandemic-related challenges faced by railroad carriers.

"There are so many leadership lessons to be learned on the playing field," Adams said. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts — how energizing it can be to be a part of an effort like that."

Annie has been with NS for more than 20 years and embodies the company's "leadership, innovation, and technology-driven mindset," President and CEO Alan Shaw wrote in his nomination for her. During the pandemic, she helped NS transition to remote work where applicable and implemented a new mobile communication tool, FORGE, to ease the process. Annie also helped NS move its headquarters from Norfolk to Atlanta and was directly responsible for designing and constructing our headquarters campus in Midtown, in which she prioritized green technology and employee engagement.

In addition to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Railway Age also covered Adams’ recognition here.