Norfolk Southern fires CEO and chief legal officer over consensual workplace relationship

Norfolk Southern has ousted Alan Shaw as its CEO, saying the executive violated the Atlanta-based freight railroad's policies by having a consensual relationship with a subordinate, it announced late Wednesday. 

Also fired was its chief legal officer, Nabanita Nag, the employee with whom Shaw was said to be involved, according to initial findings from an ongoing investigation disclosed Sunday by the company's board of directors. The company said it had hired a law firm to oversee an independent probe into allegations Shaw engaged in behavior inconsistent with the company's code of ethics and policy.

"Shaw's departure is unrelated to the company's performance, financial reporting and results of operations," Norfolk Southern said in a Wednesday news release.

Mark George, the railroad's chief financial officer, is replacing Shaw as CEO, effective immediately. 

The board's unanimous decision to fire Shaw follows two tough years at the helm. In May, Shaw  survived a bid to oust him as CEO over complaints about his performance, including his handling of last year's East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment — the worst railroad disaster in the last decade.

The derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border led to calls for reform by lawmakers and regulators, yet have resulted in only small changes like installing more trackside detectors to spot overheating bearings like the one that caused the East Palestine crash. 

Shaw began with Norfolk as a cost systems analyst in 1994, rising through its ranks to become CEO in May of 2022.