CN chief stepping back temporarily due to health problems

MONTREAL—Claude Mongeau, president and CEO of the Canadian National Railway Co. will be stepping back from his leadership role as faces personal health problems.

The railroader said Aug. 12 he will undergo surgery to remove a rare type of precancerous soft-tissue tumour located in the upper left part of his larynx.

CN notes the medical treatment plan will call for a surgery towards the end of August or early in September, an expected month or so to heal properly, followed by around six weeks of targeted radiation therapy to completely cure the illness so the tumour does not recur in the future.

“‎This is a serious health setback for me personally, but one of CN’s core strengths is that we have a very experienced and tightly-knit senior team that knows how to lead our railway to success. For this reason, I have all the confidence in the world that CN will not miss a beat while I take good care of myself to recover fully,” Mongeau said.

While Mongeau intends to remain engaged with CN’s business as president and CEO, Luc Jobin, executive vice-president and CFO, will coordinate the CN leadership team and take direction from the company’s board of directors until Mongeau can ‎return to work later this fall.

CN’s leadership team and its board of directors ‎said they are united in offering Mr. Mongeau their full support and wishing him a prompt recovery.

“We are sorry to see Claude facing this unfortunate health setback,” Robert Pace, CN’s board chairman, said. “Having witnessed first-hand his extraordinary level of energy and determination over the years, we all remain confident that he and his medical team will be able to address the situation‎ so he can soon fully be back at the helm guiding CN forward. Our committed directors and myself will be there to support the CN leadership team during Claude’s recovery period.”