Norfolk Southern Fires CEO Alan Shaw for an Inappropriate Relationship With an Employee

ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 01: A general view of the exterior of the headquarters of Norfolk Southern on April 1, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. The US Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit on March 30, 2023, against Norfolk Southern seeking damages over the train derailment which occurred in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(AP) – Norfolk Southern says it has fired CEO Alan Shaw for having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. His departure ends two difficult years on the job and comes just days after the company’s board announced it was investigating his alleged ethical lapses. Shaw was leading Norfolk Southern in February 2023 when one of its trains derailed, spilled toxic chemicals and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, the worst railroad disaster in the last decade. Activist investor Ancora Holdings tried to take control of the railroad earlier this year and fire Shaw. The railroad’s board on Wednesday said it promoted Chief Financial Officer Mark George to be its new CEO.