Leadership Biographies

Mark George is President and Chief Executive Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation. Since 1827, Norfolk Southern has safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network that serves a majority of the country's population and manufacturing base, with connections to more than 54 inland, lake, river, and sea ports. Committed to furthering sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid approximately 15 million tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. The railroad’s dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, operate the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern US, and originate more automotive traffic than any other Class I Railroad.

In his current role, George oversees all areas of the company’s business and operations, building a customer-centric and operations-driven organization. George has more than 30 years of experience in financial management, strategy, and business development. During his time at Norfolk Southern, he has enhanced the company’s focus on productivity and cost control – utilizing his expertise across multiple industrial segments. Most recently, George served as Chief Financial Officer and first joined the company in 2019. In that role, George was responsible for overseeing the company’s Finance teams as well as Investor Relations, Sourcing, and Corporate Strategy teams.

Prior to joining Norfolk Southern, he held successive roles of responsibility across multiple commercial and business segments of United Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries, including six years in Asia as the regional CFO for the Otis Elevator Company. He held roles of increasing responsibility and ultimately served as the Global CFO for both the Otis Elevator Company and the Carrier Corporation from 2008 to 2019.

George is also on the Board of Directors for Trane Technologies plc (NYSE: TT), where he serves on the Finance and Audit Committees. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Georgia.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Central Connecticut State University and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

• Drives innovative technology strategies that balance service, productivity, growth, and safety for Norfolk Southern.
• Expertise in embedding AI and exponential technologies to enhance customer and employee experiences.
• Proven leader in building secure, resilient technology infrastructures aligned with enterprise growth and business priorities.

Anil Bhatt is EVP and Chief Information and Digital at Norfolk Southern Corporation. Since 1827, Norfolk Southern has safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the country’s population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.

Appointed Chief Information and Digital Officer in 2024, Bhatt is focused on fortifying Norfolk Southern’s technology infrastructure, with a commitment to enhancing security, resilience, and operational excellence. He will help drive the company’s digital transformation efforts, embedding AI and advanced technologies to optimize customer and employee experiences while supporting the company’s overall strategy of balanced service, productivity, and growth. Bhatt works closely across teams to ensure process discipline in technology decision-making and alignment with business priorities, advancing Norfolk Southern’s competitive edge.

Before joining Norfolk Southern, Bhatt served as the Global Chief Information Officer at Elevance Health, a Fortune 25 healthcare company with over 100,000 employees and more than $150 billion in annual revenue. At Elevance Health, Bhatt led significant technological advancements, including cloud migration and the integration of AI-powered platforms, driving enterprise growth and operational efficiencies. His experience includes leadership roles at IAC Inc. and Procter & Gamble, where he gained deep expertise in technology innovation and transformation across multiple industries. In 2022, he was recognized as one of the Forbes Top 100 CIOs and, in 2023, he was a Super Global ORBIE award recipient.

Bhatt holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from BSF Institute of Technology & Science.

Ed Elkins is EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation. Since 1827, Norfolk Southern has safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network that serves a majority of the country's population and manufacturing base, with connections to more than 54 inland, lake, river, and sea ports. Committed to furthering sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid approximately 15 million tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. The railroad’s dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, operate the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern US, and originate more automotive traffic than any other Class I Railroad.

Appointed Chief Marketing Officer in 2021, Elkins leads the company’s Intermodal, Automotive, and Industrial Products business divisions. He also manages the Real Estate, Industrial Development, Short Line Marketing, Field Sales, and Customer Logistics business groups.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Elkins was hired by Norfolk Southern as a Road Brakeman in 1988. He then served as a Conductor, Locomotive Engineer, and a Relief Yardmaster. Following his time in Operations, Elkins spent two decades in Intermodal Marketing. In 2016, Elkins was named Group Vice President of Chemicals Marketing, and in 2018, he was promoted to Vice President of Industrial Products.

Currently, Elkins serves as the Vice Chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and sits on the boards of directors of the East Lake Foundation, National Association of Manufacturers, and TTX Company. Elkins also serves on the Georgia State University Marketing RoundTable and is a member of The Conference Board, Inc. on the Council for CMOs.

Elkins is a native of Southwest Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and an MBA from Old Dominion University with a concentration in Port & Maritime Economics.

• Fourth-generation railroader
• Began his career as a craft railroader and union leader
• Strong track record of implementing scheduled railroading and achieving operational results

John Orr is EVP and Chief Operating Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation. Since 1827, Norfolk Southern has safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the country’s population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.

Appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2024, Orr leads Norfolk Southern’s railway operations, including safety, transportation, network planning and operations, engineering, and equipment maintenance. Orr is helping to accelerate the execution of the company’s balanced strategy to deliver safe and reliable service, continuous productivity improvements, and smart growth.

Orr joined Norfolk Southern from Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, and oversaw network operations planning and design, labor relations, and regulatory affairs. In this role, he led the integration and optimization of operations following Canadian Pacific Railway’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern (KCS) in December 2021. At KCS, Orr was Executive Vice President of operations, where he shaped and guided the execution of their service-focused precision scheduled railroading initiatives. Orr began his career at CN as a conductor and held various operating and network positions at the company, including Chief Safety and Sustainability Officer, ultimately being promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Transportation Officer.

Orr holds a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies from University of Waterloo and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.