CN to improve customer service with new sales and marketing structure

CN says a new management structure for its sales and marketing department, including the promotion of two key sales and marketing officers to two newly created positions, will improve customer service.

Stan Jablonski, currently vice-president – forest products, has been promoted to the position of vice-president – sales, and will head a newly created sales department. Jean-Jacques Ruest, currently vice-president – industrial products, has been promoted to the position of vice-president – marketing, and will head a newly created marketing department. Both Jablonski and Ruest, based in Montreal, will report to James M. Foote, CN’s executive vice-president, sales and marketing.

“We are continually looking for efficient and effective ways to provide our customers with sales and service offerings that best suit their needs. This new structure will allow us to streamline and standardize traditional, and often antiquated, sales and marketing business activities across the system and fully leverage our electronic business capabilities," said Foote.

"Our objective is to further strengthen our merchandise franchise with a uniform sales approach, without losing sight of our customers’ individual needs.”

Sales and marketing activities for national accounts are currently managed along customer product lines in six business units. In the new structure, sales activities currently in the forest products, industrial products and intermodal business units will be consolidated into the sales department under Jablonski. Jablonski also will have indirect responsibility for the regional sales structure, which will remain in place.

This geographically based sales force is primarily responsible for developing new customers and managing customers whose activities are limited to one of CN’s operating regions. The regional sales force will continue to report directly to each respective regional senior vice-president. Marketing activities currently performed in the forest products and industrial products business units will be consolidated into the marketing department under Ruest.

All activities in the automotive business unit, currently led by Andy Gonta, CN’s vice-president, automotive and intermodal sales, also will be under Ruest’s direction. Gonta is assuming new responsibilities in CN’s operating department, where he is undertaking a senior management development program called the Railroad MBA, which was developed by CN to improve the skills of senior management.

Intermodal marketing activities will continue to reside in the IMX (Intermodal Excellence) business unit. In addition, CN’s eBusiness activities, currently led by Anita Ernesaks, vice-president, eBusiness, will report to Ruest. Ernesaks will assume new responsibilities in the company’s operating department, where she also is enrolled in CN’s Railroad MBA Program. Most of the activities currently led by Janice Murray, vice-president, sales and market development, also will report to Ruest. Murray will assume new responsibilities in the company’s newly expanded network strategies department.